영어로 읽는 고전 _ 제롬 빅스비의 리틀 보이
제롬 빅스비의 "작은 소년"은 20세기 중반에 쓰인 공상과학 단편소설입니다. 문명을 파괴한 재앙적 사건 이후의 포스트 아포칼립스 세계를 배경으로, 무법 사회에서 아이들의 생존 본능을 중심으로 이야기가 전개됩니다. 이 작품은 인류의 잔혹한 변화를 포착하며, 특히 스티븐이라는 어린 소년의 경험을 통해 아이들에게 공존하는 야만성과 순수함을 집중적으로 다룹니다.
이야기는 폐허가 된 뉴욕시를 헤매는 11세 소년 스티븐을 따라가며, 그곳에서는 모든 곳에 위험이 도사리고 있습니다. 그는 음식을 찾아 헤매며 폭력과 혼돈에 빠진 성인 약탈자들을 피하며 생존합니다. 그의 고독한 존재는 비슷한 나이의 소녀를 만나면서 변화를 겪게 됩니다. 그들의 초기 대립은 긴장된 순간으로 확대되지만, 결국 놀이를 통해 유대감을 형성하게 되어 그들의 단단해진 외면 아래 숨어있는 순수함의 불꽃을 보여줍니다. 그들이 현실의 혹독함 속에서도 웃음과 동반자 관계를 찾아가면서, 이야기는 어린 시절의 회복력과 친절함을 거의 잊어버린 세상에서도 여전히 존재하는 연결에 대한 깊은 욕구에 대한 감동적인 메시지를 전달합니다.
Classics Read in English _ Little Boy by Jerome Bixby
Jerome Bixby's "Little Boy" is a science fiction short story written during the mid-20th century. Set in a post-apocalyptic world following a catastrophic event that has decimated civilization, the narrative explores the survival instincts of children within a lawless society. The story captures humanity's brutal transformation, particularly focusing on the experiences of a young boy named Steven, whose journey reflects the coexistence of savagery and innocence inherent in children.
The narrative follows Steven, an eleven-year-old boy navigating the ruins of New York City, where danger lurks around every corner. He survives by scavenging for food while avoiding adult predators who have descended into violence and chaos. His solitary existence undergoes a transformation when he encounters a girl of similar age. Their initial confrontation escalates into a tense moment that ultimately evolves into a bond formed through play, revealing the spark of innocence beneath their hardened exteriors. As they discover laughter and companionship amid the harshness of their reality, the story delivers a poignant message about childhood resilience and the fundamental human need for connection, even in a world that has nearly forgotten compassion.
Among the contents
He dropped over the stone wall and flattened to the ground. He looked warily about him like a young wolf, head down, eyes up. His name was Steven?but he'd forgotten that. His face was a sunburned, bitter, filthy eleven-year-old face?tight lips, lean cheeks, sharp blue eyes with startlingly clear whites. His clothes were rags?a pair of corduroy trousers without any knees; a man's white shirt, far too big for him, full of holes, stained, reeking with sweat; a pair of dirty brown sneakers.
He lay, knife in hand, and waited to see if anyone had seen him coming over the wall or heard his almost soundless landing on the weedgrown dirt.
Above and behind him was the grey stone wall that ran along Central Park West all the way from Columbus Circle to the edge of Harlem. He had jumped over just north of 72nd Street. Here the park was considerably below street level?the wall was about three feet high on the sidewalk side and about nine feet high on the park side.
