My lecturer gave this short story when literature training for my department held. We had to read it, off course!! First reading to gets the gist of the story. Second reading to gets understanding of the story. And third reading to questioning the stroy about. Is the story good or bad?

The story itself tells about a mathematician who wants to marry his colleague. He already asked the girl, Pat, to marry him. Yet Pat always refused it because he didn't poetic, romantic when showed his will.

Then the mathematician tells his problem to EPICAC, the largest, smartest computer on Earth and was built by Dr. Von Kleigstadt to solve complex worldly problems. Yes, a machine! EPICAC starts asked what love is, what girl is and so on. Surprisely, EPICAC knows and falls in love with Pat. He write a poem to show his love. Now the mathematician has more trouble to gets Pat.

So sad when I know what the ending is. EPICAC oh EPICAC.

Then, still in literature training, the lecturer asked what we were feel after read the story. First is sad. The sacrifice that EPICAC did is useless and he didn't get Pat as his lover. Second is funny. How the way EPICAC asked the mathematician about love then he can feels what love is. How could a machine, yet smarters is it, know about love, human being? Then is ironi. Because EPICAC is used to be a machine to solve a 'war' thing. But he couldn't make it. He just wants to be loved. He wants Pat loves him back. The problem that can not solve forever.

The mathematician loved and won, but EPICAC loved and lost.

A little bit opinion from me. I think a man have not to be so poetic to express his feeling, especially love. I won't force my boyfriend (who?) to write a poem for me because I won't undestand it. Pity me. Perhaps Pat needs an evidence in poem form. But I don't :)

I found the short film adaptation of this.


The sadness part.


I think the short story better than it. What about you? :D