2. Them! as a Depiction of Society, Continued
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Fortunately, the meaning of Them! isn't limited to
the story about the fight against fascism and communism.

A second domain of meaning can be found
by examining Them! not as a disguised war movie,
but as science fiction.
Here, it presents us with a well-known theme
in which our use of technology
is depicted as taking place in three phases or having three aspects.
In the first phase, humanity, or characters who represent us,
develop new technologies that make it possible
to manipulate some aspect of reality.
In phase two, these same technologies
undermine that aspect of reality
because of the characters' uncontrolled passions
or carelessness or lack of knowledge and ability.
Finally, if there is a happy ending,
reality is saved, by combining technology with
positive human attributes such as courage.

We see this idea in a great many science fiction stories
that show us the ecosystem or the unfolding of time
or the separation between mind and the physical world
or some other aspect of the world put in danger.

These works express our growing fear
that we can't be trusted with the massive new powers
bequeathed by science, and that fundamental aspects of existence
could be in danger, as a result.
They let us enact our fantasies about these issues,
and the fears and desires behind those fantasies,
while the happy endings reassure us
that the science that threatens us
will save us, if it is paired with moral qualities in ourselves.

Them! plays on this theme by telling us that nuclear energy,
which makes it possible to "split" the atom
and interfere with the order of physical matter,
could end up undermining the order of life,
by creating mutations or a barren world.

In particular, it spins out a nightmare daydream around
the atomic testing that took place in White Sands, New Mexico, in 1945.
"Here is what might happen as a result of the fact that we toyed
with these new powers, without knowing the consequences," it says,
as it shows us a desolate landscape with giant mutant creatures
that could destroy human life.

From a purely political point of view, this theme might be viewed
as a way of trying to mobilize the audience's sentiments
against nuclear weapons and testing.
If we view it less as ideology and more as an exploration of ideas,
it is a way of getting audiences to think about
the moral paradoxes and ambiguities
created by science.

Either way, the movie combines a happy ending with a warning,
leaving us both unnerved about a potential danger
and confident that we can prevail,
which is an effective way of evoking both
an aesthetic experience and a desire to act.

It is interesting that this second meaning,
concerning the danger of atomic weapons,
is a message from the left,
which has been paired off with a message from the right
about the danger of Communism.
The two ideas are linked
by the the fact that the monster is a disguised depiction
both of communism and of the danger of nuclear weapons
and the misuse of scientific knowledge.

The link becomes stronger when we see that the
movie is telling us that, in trying to use
science and nuclear weapons to fight communism,
we could end up being the cause of our own destruction.

The depiction of America's victory over ruthless invaders at the end
made this message more acceptable
to conservatives and anti-communists
while still planting a seed of doubt
about the wisdom of America's nuclear policies.