Childhood's End is one of the best early examples of apocalyptic science fiction. It is the story of Earth's invasion by a supervisory alien race, the 'Golden Age' of life under the Overlords, followed by the mutation of all human offspring into bodiless parts of a hive mind. The final phase of the mutation causes a chain reaction that destroys the Earth, but humanity had already died out, save for one interstellar traveler who returned in time to die with his planet. Clarke violates one of the prime directives of fiction writing by using more summary than scene. He tells the story more than he shows the events. I believe this was deliberate, the only convincing way he could write the story of the end of the human race and put a positive spin on it.
Stormgren, George, and Jan provide the reader with human viewpoints within the text. Stormgren dies before the Overlords reveal their appearance, certainly long before the world ends. He is a sympathetic character who has shown a great deal of concern for others. Clarke also made him an old man, so that his sympathy for those who had trouble adjusting to the new world order wouldn't carry over to the 'lost' within the Golden Age. Had he been alive when humanity reached the endgame, the reader may have been distracted from the story's message. When Stormgren exits the narrative, he is still optimistic about the future under the rule of the Overlords, so much so that he is unconcerned about the nature of Supervisor Karellen's physical appearance. His confidence feeds the reader's.
George is the character who struggles with the dark side of the occupation, from the stunted creativity to the hidden agendas of the Overlords. He is the one who asks the tough questions. He is the one unhappy about the answers, about the extinction of his species. So it should come as no surprise that George is a jerk. He is rude and opinionated, prone to throwing tantrums over minor things, cheats on his wife in an age where staying married is not necessary or expected, and he finds the tasks of caring for his children annoy him. Jerk. The reader is positioned to not like George before he starts his dialogue with the Overlords, predisposed to side against him. If he is an example of humanity, maybe they need to go. When he describes his son and daughter's mutations, he is emotionally distant enough to lessen the impact of the loss of Earth's children. Had this section been shown through the viewpoint of his wife Jean, it would have been emotionally devastating. The reader may not have been quick to embrace the change, if seen through a mother's grief.
Like Stormgren, Jan is a man with a single dream. For Stormgren, it was one world government. For Jan, it was to visit another planet. When Supervisor Karellen said the stars were not meant for man, Jan rebelled, stowing away on a shuttle to the Overlord home world. He was gone from Earth for eighty years, during which time he was shown why man was not ready to see other worlds. Still, he had the single dream and no strong attachments to human beings who would still be alive upon his return. Once he got back to Earth, it was all over but the last days of packing. Karellen explained the plan and endgame to the one human being without a vested interest in their survival. He was ready to die, not bitter, even a bit curious. By this time, the mutated children were only marginally human, so could be viewed with the necessary scientific detachment. He was accepting of humanity's fate in a way that even Karellen couldn't achieve.
Humanity's children reached space and were made welcome. From Jan's point of view, it was a happy ending.
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