Topic > Analysis of Alpha Ralpha Street by Cordwainer Smith

Predicted that Macht would live or die with a brown-haired girl who was already engaged. It turns out that his trip to Alpha Ralpha Boulevard to help Virginia, a brown-haired girl, costs him his life. This could simply be a coincidence; however I doubt these random details would be incorporated for any other purpose. Virginia's aunt received the “Paul and Virginia” prophecy, twelve years before this moment, on the day they fell in love. Once you reach Abba-Dingo the weather machine predicts the arrival of a typhoon, which will appear soon. The machine offered no food/help, but its compartment labeled “forecast” worked. This foreshadowed to Virginia that she would love Paul all her life, and to Paul that he would love her for another twenty-one minutes. Paul rejects this, believing that, like the food machine, the prediction machine was also broken. Turns out he was indeed correct, Virginia dies twenty-one minutes later and Paul passes out, waking up no longer in love with his deceased.