Sphere

A zoologist/biochemist, Elizabeth (“Beth”) Halpern is invited onto the team to investigate the spacecraft because of the potential of encountering an alien creature or animal. Beth is a woman in a predominantly male profession. In the 1970s, when the author began writing this book, women made 58 cents to every dollar men made, and until 1978 it was legal to fire a woman who became pregnant. For Beth, working in this male-dominated profession meant facing constant discrimination. Norman relates a story in which Beth had an affair with a professor, and when the affair ended, the professor published papers based partly on Beth’s work without giving her credit. While similar situations still happen today, they were far more common in the 1970 and 80s, and Beth had no recourse against the professor. This period of open discrimination shapes Beth’s character.

The text emphasizes Beth’s interest in running and weightlifting, describing her as “a tall, angular woman of thirty-six who could be called pretty despite her sharp features and the almost masculine quality of her body” (29). These masculine qualities further highlight her attempt to fit into her male-dominated profession. Additionally, these masculine qualities show Beth’s desire to protect herself from danger. Beth’s insecurity emerges throughout the novel in several ways, such as her expressing disdain for Barnes’s treatment of her, suggesting that his attitude is sexist even though Barnes is seen working with three other female subordinates and none of them suggests that his behavior is sexist.

Beth’s desire to protect herself results in a lack of femininity about her physical being. However, after she enters the sphere, one of her manifestations is an increase in beauty and an expression of femininity when she’s around Norman. These two sides of Beth battle within her shadow, revealing her need to be seen as beautiful, but also her desire to protect herself from outside forces. This is further evident in her behavior toward Norman when she becomes convinced that he’s a danger to her. Beth’s first reaction to both Harry and Norman as dangerous is to kill them. Her insecurity in her identity as a woman and a scientist is so strong that it begins to manifest in confusing ways, drawing Norman to her in a sexual manner but also pushing him away and even attempting to kill them all to protect herself from the danger that Norman’s masculinity represents to Beth.

Functioning as a mathematician on the ULF team, Harold (“Harry”) Adams is a Black man who grew up in a poor neighborhood. He was a prodigy whom Norman surmises had an especially difficult childhood because his genius would have separated him from his family and friends at an early age, creating an insecurity that grew and became a fear within Harry that he wouldn’t meet and/or exceed expectations. For this reason, Harry and Ted become quick rivals as both vie for notoriety during the investigation into the unknown spacecraft.

Harry often shows off his intelligence and logical reasoning skills. He’s the first to recognize that the spacecraft is unlikely alien in nature and the first to decipher the code through which Jerry attempts to communicate. Harry is surly and somewhat unsociable, but the text later suggests that his verbal sparring with Ted is something that he finds enjoyable and challenging. Given the novel’s being set in the 1980s, a time in which racial discrimination was openly prevalent in the workplace, Harry’s race alone could explain his behavior and fears. However, the text relies as much, if not more, on the psychological impact of intelligence and social interactions to form Harry’s insecurities and fears, creating a better developed and well-rounded character.

Like Beth, Harry has a subconscious riddled with insecurity and fear. As an intelligent man expected to excel in his chosen field, Harry has learned to bury his fears and not address them openly. As a result, when he enters the sphere, these fears are unleashed and begin manifesting themselves in the form of marine life and a giant squid. Harry is so out of touch with his own subconscious that he doesn’t understand that these things are a part of his own psyche until Norman points it out. However, once Norman makes him aware of it, Harry uses his grasp of logic to analyze the situation and accept it, making him willing to do whatever is necessary to repair the situation.