Here’s Why Ye Wenjie Is Reading ‘Silent Spring’ in ‘3 Body Problem’

3 Body Problem is now streaming on Netflix, and it contains a deep cut to the environmental movement that was born in the 1960s. Is the book Silent Spring real? Why does it show up in a show about an alien invasion?

3 Body Problem tells the story of the alien race the San-Ti (or Trisolarans in the English translations of the original novels by Cixin Liu), which decides to invade Earth when their unstable solar system repeatedly wipes out their civilization. Caught in the chain of events that follow are the brilliant physicist Ye Wenjie (Rosalind Chao), a group of five young scientists, and a society dedicated to helping the San-Ti take over Earth.

Silent Spring in 3 Body Problem

3 Body Problem takes place over two separate timelines: the present day, and 1960s China. In the ’60s storyline, we see a young Ye Wenjie (Zine Tseng) surreptitiously reading a copy of Silent Spring that was gifted to her by another prisoner in the camp. When the book is confiscated, it leads to a series of events that finds Ye recruited into China’s program for searching for extraterrestrial life. It also leads to her first meeting with environmentalist Mike Evans (Ben Schnetzer), who eventually recruits people into serving the San-Ti.

The history of Silent Spring

Silent Spring is a real book, published in 1962 by biologist Rachel Carson. The book details all the harmful effects of the pesticide DDT, which caused environmental devastation and human illness, and yet was used in abundance in the early 20th century. Carson published the book after her efforts to expose the effects of DDT were rejected, and even after the book’s publication, the chemical industry tried to discredit her work.

However, Carson’s work succeeded not just in getting DDT banned, but in launching the broader environmental movement. Many consider Silent Spring to be one of the formative—if not the foundational—works of environmentalism.

So what does Silent Spring have to do with 3 Body Problem? Ye bonds with Mike over a pivotal line from the book—”Nothing in nature exists alone”—after she finds out that a new radio lab the government wants to build will threaten a rare species of bird. Ye also grows disillusioned with humanity’s ability to self-govern, and she and Mike spend the rest of their lives working to bring the San-Ti to Earth.

But there’s another interesting parallel. The San-Ti threaten humanity by broadcasting the message “You are bugs.” DDT was known for wiping out not just one species of insect, but all kinds. In a way, Ye’s fascination with Silent Spring foreshadows her own part in the potential destruction of humanity.

3 Body Problem is now streaming on Netflix.

(featured image: Netflix)