Aliens' Arrival and the End of the World — An Apocalyptic Reading of Childhood's End

Abstract

Science fiction is a literary genre which provides the ground for scientific discoveries. One of the subgenres of science fiction is apocalyptic literature, which deals with the end of the world. Arthur C. Clarke is considered one of these apocalyptic writers whose Childhood’s End indicates an alien invasion and the outcome of their interference with the affairs of human beings. This article intends to emphasize the apocalyptic elements within Childhood’s End and, further, it will highlight how the writer uses this genre in order to deal with the delineation of religion and science, the mutation of children and the destruction of Earth.