slow sculpturing process which could sculpt the man as much as the tree. The woman, who has been observing the man in secret, accuses him of being angry and frightened. He explains that years earlier he had developed a new car exhaust which reduced pollution and increased mileage. He had become wealthy as a result, not because of the success of his idea but because car manufacturers and oil refining companies paid him to bury it. He is angry that society is unwilling to accept this and many other solutions he has developed to the world's problems. He also admits to being frightened of close relationships. The woman suggests that he should treat humanity like a bonsai, guiding them towards his ideas rather than ordering them to accept them, and that relationships should be treated similarly if they are to be made to work. The story ends with the man asking the woman her name. Themes A common theme throughout Sturgeon's work is an individual's ability or inability to communicate with others. Lahna Diskin wrote in her biography of Sturgeon that this theme rings out in "Slow Sculpture" where the young woman compares making a relationship work with handling a living thing, such as a bonsai. While it is a story about the power of love, it also suggests that industrialists and politicians will suppress technological advances if it serves their own interests by maintaining the status quo. Awards and nominations "Slow Sculpture" won the 1970 Nebula Award for Best Novelette and the 1971 Hugo Award for Best Short Story. It was also nominated for the 1970 Locus Award for Best Short Fiction, ultimately finishing sixth. References Sources External links Structural fabulation: an essay on fiction of the future by Robert E. Scholes Three Reservations on the Structural Road, TJ Remington - Science Fiction Studies, 1977 The Nail and the Oracle By Theodore Sturgeon, Paul Williams, Harlan Ellison Short stories by Theodore Sturgeon Hugo Award for Best Short Story winning works Nebula Award for Best Novelette-winning works Science fiction short stories 1970 short stories Works originally published in Galaxy Science Fiction