Solaris chronicles humanity's futile attempts at understanding a totally alien entity. Often, in science fiction stories, an author introduces an alien race, has mankind make contact with it, and then by the end of the book there is a general sense of understanding between the two. It is often assumed that the alien races have evolved and developed in a fashion similar to mankind, so that we are able to comprehend their physiological and psychological make-up. This is not so in Lem's book.
We experience the story through the eyes of Kris Kelvin. Kelvin is a scientist sent to a research station on Solaris, a planet naturally inhabited by a vast, sentient ocean. When he arrives at the station, he is immediately bombarded by a set of bizarre situations. He first meets (in a round about way) Dr. Snow, and also discovers his first inclination that something is amiss. Snow acts paranoid and afraid, and avoids direct communication, offering obtuse answers to Kelvin's inquires. Soon, Kelvin learns of Dr. Sartorius, the other scientist at the base. But what he learns doesn't answer a single question - it only raises more concern about the exasperating occurrences seemingly birthed from the planet itself.
As the story progresses, things go from strange to totally messed up. Corporeal entities begin to appear before the small crew, each one conjured directly from the minds of the scientists. Kelvin soon finds himself haunted by a simulacrum of his dead wife. Down to the smallest detail, she is an exact copy. But what is she, really? Where does she come from? Where does she go? Is she really a fake? Does she know she is a fake? Can Kelvin have emotions for her even though he knows what happened to his real wife? And, most importantly, why is she here? Here lies the main drive of the narrative. At its heart, Solaris is a scientific mystery novel to be solved through a biological and scientific investigation.
Time after time, Kelvin retreats to the station's library and hides his nose in the books and records. Lem illustrates two important factors through this character's actions. First, I found it interesting that Kelvin and the other scientists chose to stay inside and learn about the planet through books and second hand experience. It is odd that they would do this. It's almost as if they were afraid to have a real, personal experience with the planet, and so they chose to learn from the safety and comfort of the station. Kelvin reads, and reads, and reads some more about people who have had experiences with the sentient ocean, and with this knowledge he tries to synthesize a hypothesis. However, without real experience, what kind of insight can he possibly gain?
The second factor is directly related to the first. Kelvin, and those who have come before him, cannot possibly understand this planet or the entities it has sent as emissaries. The sentient ocean is so vastly different than humankind, and so far beyond the realms of human comprehension, that it exists completely outside of humankind's jurisdiction. No matter how much they discover, and no matter how much minutia they parse through, without the proper frame of reference, and without the proper language to even begin to formulate the right questions, Kelvin and the other scientists don't stand a chance at comprehending what is going on, or why.
And this is why Solaris is so interesting. Nothing is ever solved; this is a mystery without a solution, because the detectives don't even know what it is they are really looking for. Imagine being on a scavenger hunt without a list, in another country, blind folded, and gagged. Through his wonderfully written prose, thick with detail and nuanced character interactions, Lem presents to his readers a world that is totally inhuman. In most other science fiction novels, the author would have his characters reach a mutual understanding with the aliens; human ingenuity would prevail, there would be a scientific breakthrough, and enough would be known to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion.
But Lem keeps us, and his characters, in the dark. He doesn't do so to frustrate, although I am sure some readers might disagree; he does so to illustrate a fascinating detail about humanity. For all that we are, we are only human, and there may be some things out there that we will never understand - and this is okay.
