In the proposed assignment, I intend to argue that the theme of "alien invasion" constitutes an important parameter in American culture because it reflects the fear of the unknown. . American society, like any other society, greatly fears that something unknown, such as a person or an idea, will suddenly appear in their peaceful lives, will not be assimilated, and will thus help to distract their American identity. Since the United States is a culture based on materialism, which contradicts the communism school of thought, the fear of the unknown was particularly focused on this country – among other things – during the Cold War. The authors clearly referred to the Russians as a threat – as if they were aliens themselves – as in the case of Frederik Pohl's short story "The Tunnel Under the World" where the main protagonist questions the enemy he faces, and he uses the expression “Russians? Martians? Similarly, in John Milne's story, "Death and the Senator," the senator chooses to die instead of succumbing to the evil medical practices of the Russians, which take place in space. As it continued, the “Red Scare” led American politics into a new era; discussing anything about communism was almost forbidden, especially during the era of McCarthyism. Thus, many authors used the theme of an upcoming alien invasion, similar to a Red invasion, thus avoiding specific discussions on the topic. An example is Robert Sheckley's story "Hour of Battle", in which Martians appear as telepathic creatures who kidnapped an American soldier, causing the Americans to wait in open space for any attack in order to to protect the earth. This narrative can be considered a Cold War narrative...... middle of paper...... London: Magnum. 87-92. “Odyssey” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, October 3, 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OdysseySigmund Freud. (2001) “From the Uncanny” In VB Leitch, WE Cain, L. Finke, B. Johnson, J. McGowan (eds.) The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism New York: Norton. 824-41. “Uncanny” Wikimedia Foundation, October 3, 2014. http://en. .wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny “The United States in the 1950s” Wikimedia Foundation, October 3, 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_in_the_1950s#Science_and_technology Wyndham, J. (1952) Revolt of the Triffids. : The Day of the Triffids: A science fiction novel New York: Popular Library. Wells, HG (1960) War of the Worlds New Zealand: Macmillan Publishers New Zealand Ltd “Xenophobia” Wikimedia Foundation, 3 November. 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenophobia