Valentine Michael Smith's Upbringing by the Martian Old Ones

Valentine Michael Smith's upbringing by the Martian Old Ones defines the central divide in his identity: he has human ancestry, but his understanding of himself and the world was formed by a society unlike Earth's. The Old Ones are not merely part of his past; their influence remains an active source of belonging, purpose, and difference when he encounters humanity.

Identity Shaped by Upbringing

An account of Smith's condition stresses that he had never seen another human being before his arrival on Earth. It distinguishes his ancestry from his formation: he is human by descent, yet Martian in environment, thought, and feeling. The contrast is not presented as a simple matter of unfamiliar customs. It marks the depth of the gap between the people who raised him and the society into which he has been brought.

The same account warns that treating Smith as an ordinary human subject could overwhelm him before he had time to recover and adjust. His unfamiliarity with people and institutions is therefore not incidental background: it shapes how others approach him and reveals the risk of interpreting him solely through Earth's expectations.

The Old Ones and Smith's Sense of Belonging

Smith's own explanation of his presence on Earth links him directly to the Old Ones: he says that they sent him. In a separate exchange, Dr. Nelson describes an Old One as the group's oldest member and asks whether Smith will speak with him. Together, these moments establish both Smith's continuing connection to the beings who raised him and the Old Ones' standing within his original community.

The relationship also appears through Smith's inward recollection of leaving home. As he searches for where to begin recalling his past, he reaches back from his arrival among humans, beyond his first recognition that he differed from his nestling brothers, and finally to the nest itself. The movement of memory places the nest and its inhabitants at the foundation of his sense of home; Earth is the disruptive later encounter, not the origin of his belonging.

Consequences of the Cross-Cultural Divide

Smith's upbringing helps explain why his arrival cannot be treated as an uncomplicated homecoming. On Earth, other people debate how to handle him, while he identifies the Old Ones as the source of his mission. The contrast between external descriptions of him and his own account makes the relationship consequential: he is viewed through human categories, but his formative allegiance and experience extend beyond them.

The Old Ones' influence also persists after Smith begins teaching and organizing on Earth. He teaches beginners' classes in Martian, helping new members learn the language associated with his upbringing. His later public role therefore carries traces of the culture that formed him: the relationship is not confined to childhood or memory, but continues through instruction and the transmission of Martian knowledge.

Significance

The relationship presents identity as something formed through lived community as well as ancestry. Smith's human descent does not erase the formative force of growing up among the Old Ones, and his connection to them remains legible in his memories, his explanation of why he came to Earth, and his teaching of Martian. The novel's human–Martian contrast is thus also a question of upbringing: who raised Smith determines what feels like home and how difficult it is for Earth to understand him.