The In Between
Perhaps on a less polarized level, the story talks about several issues that could fall in both the good and the bad categories. Toward the end of the story, it is discovered that those people who have genetically altered sleep, have a dominant gene. So if the "sleepless" and the "sleepers" start to mix then they will have a "sleepless" child every time. It is a good thing for the "sleepless" because it would increase their numbers and serve to advance the human race in a semi natural way. These ideas however would cause panic and more resentment from the normal population because they are not just being out smarted but outbreed as well. Another issue that surfaces is the discovery that the genetically altered have tissue that is constantly repairing itself. This means that they never suffer from diseases or get sick, but they also age at a very slow rate, if at all. The "sleepless" practically become immortal because as long as they do not get seriously injured, they will live far beyond anyone else. Along with this good aspect, moral issues come into play like the ability of the "sleepless" to live long enough to have multiple wives or gain a large accumulation of wealth and land over a long period of time. Again, we go back to an unfair advantage. It would be interesting to see if one day we experiment with these ideas. How would the world really react to such an evolution?
