Lazarus Long

Disambiguation: For "Prince" Lazarus Long, please see New Utopia article

Lazarus Long is a fictional character featured in a number of science fiction novels by Robert A. Heinlein. Born in 1912 in the third generation of a long-life selective breeding experiment run by the Howard Families trust, Lazarus (whose "real" name is Woodrow Wilson Smith; he changed it later into Lazarus Long, and into many others when needed) turns out to be unusually long-lived indeed, living well over two thousand years with the aid of occasional rejuvenation treatments.

His exact (natural) life span is never specifically defined; during his introduction at the beginning of Methuselah's Children he states that he is, at that time, two hundred thirteen years old. Approximately seventy-five years pass during the course of the novel, which ends with the first form of rejuvenation being developed. However, due to the fact that large amounts of this time is spent travelling interstellar distances at speeds approaching that of light, the seventy-five year measurement is an expression of the time elapsed in his absence rather than how much time passed from his perspective. At one point, he estimates his natural life span to be around two hundred fifty years, but this figure is not expressed with certainty. Precisely because Lazarus possesses an unaturally long life span even for a Howard (particularly a third-generation one), this has inclined some to believe that his longevity arises from a spontaneous mutation. However, Heinlein himself evinces hostility toward the idea that we may explain Lazarus' longevity by invoking any deus ex machina mutation. This is done through Long himself, who admits that, while a mutation is an answer, it doesn't actually explain anything.

The promotional copy on the back of Time Enough For Love, the second book featuring the character of Lazarus Long, states that Lazarus was "so in love with time that he became his own ancestor," but this never happens in any of the published books. This would be a better explanation of his longevity (since he would go back in time and give himself the longevity genes that were necessary for staying alive long enough to be able to go back in time and give himself the longevity genes). Certainly, Heinlein used a similar plot in the short story "—All You Zombies—". It could be argued that Lazarus is either his own grandfather (whom, it is frequently noted, he resembles greatly in both appearance and personality) or that he is somehow an exact replica of him, but again, there is nothing in the books that indicates this.

It should also be taken into consideration that the copy on the back of a book is not usually written by the author; it is not uncommon, in fact, for this copy to be written by someone who has not read the book. It is equally reasonable, if not moreso, to assume that this copy was written by someone who had been given a synopsis of the book that mentioned that he met and fell and love with his mother while travelling through time-- without noting that his younger self was five years old during these events.

A rugged individualist with a distrust of authority, Lazarus drifts from colony world to colony world, settling down for a few years or a few decades and leaving when things get too regimented for his taste—often just before the angry mob arrives.

The Lazarus Long set of books involve time travel, parallel dimensions, free love, voluntary incest, and a concept that Heinlein named pantheistic solipsism—the theory that universes are created by the act of imagining them so that somewhere the Land of Oz is real.

Opinion is divided among science fiction fans as to whether these late Heinlein novels are brilliant, creative and original, or simply the wish-fulfillment of a man in his second childhood.

Novels featuring Lazarus include:

• Methuselah's Children (1941)
• Time Enough for Love (1973)
• The Number of the Beast (1980)
• The Cat Who Walks Through Walls (1985)
• To Sail Beyond the Sunset (1987)

The Lives of Lazarus Long

When the character of Lazarus Long is introduced in Methuselah's Children, he is two hundred thirteen years old, and the breeding experiment that created the Howard Families has proven to be a success, with most "Howards" enjoying a lifespan of approximately one hundred fifty years. The Howards have, to this point, existed in secret, changing identities when needed to conceal their long lifespans. Ten percent of their number have elected to end "The Masquerade" and live publically, with the approval of the Howard Foundation, but this process has backfired.

The general public of earth, once faced with the inescapable reality, believes incorrectly that the Howards have discovered some sort of anti-aging process that they are choosing to conceal, despite the fact that the truth has been made public. Public resentment of this process builds slowly, until it reaches a boiling point. Civil liberties, as applied to the Howards, are suspended, and the entire membership of the Howard Families is detained, with the exception of Lazarus himself.

With the aid of the elected head of the government, Slayton Ford, Lazarus hijacks the New Frontiers, a very large starship designed to travel to distant stars, and then liberated the Howards. While the New Frontiers was designed to sustain a colony in travel at speeds significantly below the speed of light, a Howard named named Andrew Jackson "Slipstick" Libby has developed a way to boost the ship and speeds just under that of light itself. With the ship so modified, the Howard Families, under the leadership of Lazarus Long, escape the solar system in search of a planet of their own.

The first planet they encounter is populated by the Jockaira, who turn out to be little more than domesticated animals for an unnamed species they see as gods. When it turns out that humans cannot be domesticated, all of the humans are forcefully removed from the planet and placed in their ship, which is then pushed to another star system and planet. The technology used for this is so advanced that it is not observable by the humans.

This second planet is populated by a species called "The Little People," who are a very advanced collective intelligence. They are very accomodating to the humans, and in fact their world is pleasant enough to be considered a paradise. After many years, Mary Sperling-- a close friend of Lazarus and the second-oldest of the Howard Families-- joins the collective intelligence in order to escape death. Lazarus (and many other Howards) are so disturbed by this that the decision is made to return to Earth. Around twelve thousand remained behind, but the rest returned to earth with the aid of even further advanced technology learned from the Little People.

Upon returning to earth, the Howards learn that the human race has discovered what it believes is the secret to eternal life-- rejuvenation via new blood grown in vitro. Since most people still believe that the Howards had taken some secret with them when they departed, the politcal pressure to learn that secret was so powerful as to force this "secret" to be discovered indpendently. Lazarus, who has been expecting death at any time due to extreme old age, now has a new lease on life.

Some details of the next two thousand years of his life are covered in Time Enough For Love through exposition and flashback. Most of the details of his life for this two thousand year span are not disclosed, although he has stated that he has worked in practically every conceivable occupation, including (but not limited to) actor, musician, beggar, farmer, priest, pilot, politician, con artist, gambler, doctor, lawyer, banker, merchant, soldier, electronics technician, mechanic, restaurateur, investor, and slave. (He also tells of one point in time where he was the manager of a bordello on Mars, which took place prior to the events of Methuselah's Children.)

Lazarus led the Howard Families on another exodus, this time to a planet he had discovered called Secundus. Lazarus himself, however, was not content to remain on Secundus, and headed back out to pioneer several more planets.

One of the stories told in Time Enough For Love begins with his return to Blessed, a theocratic planet with a state-sponsored slave trade. Lazarus himself had been a slave on this planet several generations prior, but declines to give details. He had returned to Blessed for commercial reasons, but his experience as a slave there makes him unable to ignore a high priced closed-bid slave auction for what appears to be two ordinary slaves. The slave merchant advises him that these slaves (Joseph and Estrellita) are, through genetic manipulation, both brother and sister (twins, in fact) and a perfect breeding pair. When he sees that the girl is in a chastity belt, he is so outraged that he purchases the pair and immediately frees them. He takes the pair with him and teaches them how to support themselves as free people, as well as giving them the general education that they had not been given as slaves. Because of their upbringing, they consider themselves to be a mating couple, and 'Llita becomes pregnant. Lazarus, as ship's captain, performs their wedding ceremony, and eventually assists them in setting up a small restaurant, and then later a larger one. After a number of years have passed, the "twins" realize that they are not aging as much as they would expect, and Lazarus infers that they are probably his descendants. (It is suggested in the forward of Time Enough For Love that by the time of that book's opening, a vast majority of the human race (and almost all of the Howard Families) are descended from him.)

Another story picks up a short time after the colonization of a planet called New Beginnings. Lazarus adopts a young girl named Dora Brandon whose parents are killed in a fire. He raises her as her foster uncle, and when she reaches adulthood, prepares to leave the planet. Dora, in the meantime, has figured out his true identity (although she does not quite comprehend what that means), and asks him to give her a child by him before he leaves. Lazarus decides (by his own admission, rather coldly) that his own sense of self-love will not permit him to father, then abandon, a child, so instead he convinces Dora to marry him. A normal human lifetime, by this point, is a brief time for him, and he feels he can sacrifice that much time to make Dora happy. Because Lazarus cannot afford being recognized as a Howard, the two leave the settlement where they have been and pioneer a new settlement. They live alone with their children for a number of years before more settlers come along, and during this time and the years that follow, Lazarus discovers that he is truly in love with Dora-- an emotion he has not experienced before. He remains with her for her entire life and is devastated when she dies.

Centuries later, Lazarus-- now over two thousand years old-- has grown weary of life and decides that it is time for him to die. He returns to Secundus, unaware that Ira Weatheral, Chairman Pro Tempore of the Howard Families, has been searching for him. (The title of "Chairman Pro Tempore" is a formality-- under the traditional rules, Lazarus is the Chairman because of his status as "The Senior".) Just before he dies, he is grabbed by the police and subjected to rejuvenation. Ira explains to a very irate Lazarus that he has done so because he needs him. He believes that the society and culture of Secundus is in its death throes, and wants to do as Lazarus did-- lead the families on a migration to a new planet, named Tertius. He wants Lazarus to impart as much wisdom as possible to assist him in the process. (This is where Time Enough for Love begins.)

Lazarus finally agrees, through a deal where Ira agrees to show up for "a thousand nights and a night" to listen to Lazarus' tales. If Ira fails to show up (with reasonable exceptions), Lazarus will commit suicide-- what they refer to as a "Reverse Scheherazade gambit". Additionally, Ira orders a search to find what Lazarus desperately wants-- something new. This search is performed by an artificial intelligence that handles most of the computer functions of the planetary government named Minerva, who is in love with Ira and becomes friends with Lazarus. During one conversation, Lazarus refers to a "mythical time machine," and Minerva asks why he calls it "mythical." She notes that the current method of space travel could be modified for time travel. When Lazarus asks why she has not mentioned this as part of the search, she responds that she was looking for something new.

Lazaurus assists Ira in the migration to Tertius (although it is done as a private expedition rather than as a function of the Howard Foundation), and then plans a trip to Earth, circa 1919-1929. Due to a miscalculation, he arrives in 1916. He makes plans to avoid World War I by leaving the country, but continues his study of the time period. He looks up his first family, and manages to insinuate himself into that household under the name of "Ted Bronson." Due to his obvious family resemblance (and careful lies), his grandfather Ira says that he may be an illegitmate child of Ira's brother. (We later learn Ira suspects "Ted" is his own illegitimate son.) He discovers, to his surprise and (initial) shame that he is overwhelmingly attracted to his own mother, Maureen.

Since Lazarus had not anticipated arriving this early, he had not researched World War I, and as a result, it broke out before he was prepared. When his "adopted" family learns that he is not planning on join the army to help in the fight, they spurn him. To gain their approval (and particularly that of Maureen), he enlists, although he intends to arrange it so that he is not sent into a combat zone by functioning as a drill sergeant. The family is enthusiastic. His father, Brian Smith-- who is also in the Army as an officer-- makes arrangements for him to go overseas, thinking he is doing "Ted" a favor.

As part of his final leave before deployment, Lazarus visits his family one more time, whereupon he learns that Maureen is as attracted to him as he is to her. She explains that her husband does not insist on fidelity, although she is careful not to become pregnant by any man but Brian. Since she is newly pregnant, that danger is gone, and she takes Lazarus discretely to bed. (A previous attempt to get "Ted" alone for such purpose is interrupted by Maureen's son, Woody-- who is of course Lazarus at five years old.) Once overseas, Lazarus is mortally wounded in combat, but is rescued and healed by his future family.

In The Number of the Beast, the main characters discover a way to travel to fictional worlds, and choose to visit the world of Lazarus Long. Using the technology of these characters' ship (which can teleport through space) to snatch his mother out of the time stream at the end of her life and replace her with a dead clone. Lazarus also appears as a minor character in The Cat Who Walks Through Walls and plays a role in Heinlien's last novel, To Sail Beyond the Sunset, which is the life story of Maureen. Some Heinlein fans speculate that many other Heinlein characters, such as Doc MacRae in Red Planet are actually Lazarus in disguise. This is feasible under Heinlein's theory of pantheistic solipsism as expressed in Number of the Beast, as well as perfectly in character for Lazarus Long, but there is nothing in Heinlein's work to support (or contradict) this theory.