The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door...

This was billed as the shortest sci-fi story written. I was reading some comments on this story in the Sunday, July 8th edition of the Pioneer Press. Some of the commentators seemed to believe that the word "alone" in the story was superfluous. One commentator stated "The editor in me says that the word 'alone' is unnecessary, because we have already been told this man is the last person on Earth." Another
commentator professing to be a recovering English teacher also felt the word 'alone' to be unnecessary. I disagree.

First, we have not been told he is the only "person" on Earth. This is a somewhat sexist leap to make. Not all persons are men. This is a point not missed by other commentators who point out that it is the last woman on Earth knocking at the door. (I believe that is what happens in the story from which this smaller story is taken.) Also, the use of the word indicates he has no pets with him at that moment in time. Though he is the last man, we have no knowledge of other animal life on Earth.

Even if we assume he is also the last human on Earth, and all other animal life is dead, to regard the word "alone" as unnecessary also makes the assumption that we are alone in the universe. This is hardly a reasonable assumption to make in the genre of science fiction.

By telling us the last man on Earth is alone, maybe the author is letting us in to the character's mind. The Character is obviously not the last being, or there would be no subsequent knock at the door. It is the last man's belief in his aloneness and feeling of aloneness that will affect his reaction to the knock. Does he regard it with fear? Curiosity? Hope?