Written by Hugh(현.초5)/April 11, 2025
The Shocking Reality of Famous People
There are many people who get applause from the public. However, they cannot enjoy their work and could be bad at work, actually. For example, a famous singer cannot be able to sing and could be stressed at recording, making songs. The book ‘space case’ written by Stuart Gibbs is a story of a boy named Dash and a girl named Kira looking for a murderer who killed Dr. Holtz on MBA, which is a fictional space station built by NASA. The author demonstrates that even people who seem famous and smart can be different on the inside.
The author suggests that people who are smart and famous can appear differently from who they are by the example of Dr. Marquez. In chapter 12, Dash asks Chang if he killed Dr. Holtz. However, Chang says that Dr. Marquez might be the murderer. He says, “Marquez is a lousy psychiatrist. He couldn’t diagnose a baked potato.”(210). Chang reveals that Dr. Holtz disagreed about Dr. Marquez coming to MBA because although Dr. Marquez is famous, he is bad at diagnosing and treating people. Also, in chapter 14, Dash has a session with Dr. Marquez but Dash feels and uncomfortable. In page 234, Dash notes, Dr. Marquez’s nervous tics and probing questions were getting under my skin”. Dr. Marquez is a psychiatrist but he has nervous tics and struggles with concentration. The public thinks that he is good at psychology but in reality he is not. This contrast highlights how fame does not always show real capacity and skill.
The character of Chang demonstrates that public image can be deceiving. In chapter 5, the Moonies wait for the new residents to come. Then, Chang, a geochemist, comes out to greet newbies. However, he is different from others. The book says, “He’s a tall muscular polish-Samoan, he has a Mohawk, and his arms are covered with tattoos.”(80). People often assume that scientists are always thin and have no tattoos. It is a wrong thought. Chang does not conform. Also in chapter 12, Dash meets Chang in the gym and Lars comes and says that it is noisy. Suddenly, Chang beats him up. Dash observes how “Lars’s head banged into the cement so hard it staggered him” (217). Chang is also good at fighting, which goes against the assumption that scientists are weak. Many people have a wrong thought that scientists are weak and only focus on science, not fighting. However, Chang is different unlike the public thinks. People’s think do not always show their strongness.
In conclusion, the author shows that people may be different from how they appear or how others think of them. They can have a sad reality for example they look happy but their mother could be dead so they try to poker face and also they could be very strong. The novel encourages readers to not judge people by their appearances because the truth may be quite different.