영어로 읽는 고전 _ 제롬 빅스비의 화성에서의 복수
제롬 빅스비의 "화성에서의 복수!"는 1950년대 초에 쓰인 공상과학 단편소설로, 당시 우주 탐험 서사에서 흔히 발견되는 절망과 도덕적 갈등이라는 주제를 반영합니다. 이 작품은 위험한 화성 환경을 배경으로 우정과 배신의 복잡성을 탐구하며, 등장인물들이 그들의 관계와 개척지 생활의 가혹한 현실을 헤쳐나가는 과정을 그립니다.
줄거리는 화성의 물 신전에서 수호자를 살해한 약탈자인 옛 친구 랜디와 맞서야 하는 헤일을 중심으로 전개됩니다. 콜드웰은 랜디에 대한 충성심과 랜디의 절망과 폭력적 행동으로 위협받는 식민지 주민들의 안전을 보장해야 할 필요성 사이에서 갈등합니다. 헤일이 랜디에게 다가가 항복하도록 설득하려고 노력하면서, 오래된 기억들과 해결되지 않은 감정들이 되살아나고, 이는 생존 본능이 우세하게 되는 격렬한 대립으로 이어집니다. 궁극적으로 헤일은 친구의 어두운 변화를 받아들여야 하며, 이는 배신의 대가와 화성에서의 삶의 무자비한 본질을 부각시킵니다.
Classics Read in English _ Vengeance on Mars! by Jerome Bixby
Jerome Bixby's "Vengeance on Mars!" is a science fiction short story written in the early 1950s, reflecting themes of desperation and moral conflict commonly found in space exploration narratives of that era. The work explores the complexities of friendship and betrayal against the backdrop of a dangerous Martian environment, as characters navigate their relationships and the harsh realities of frontier life.
The plot centers on Hale, who must confront his former friend Randy, a looter who has killed a guardian in a Martian water temple. Caldwell finds himself torn between his loyalty to Randy and the necessity of ensuring safety for the colonists threatened by Randy's desperation and violent actions. As Hale attempts to reach out and persuade Randy to surrender, old memories and unresolved emotions resurface, leading to an intense confrontation where survival instincts prevail. Ultimately, Hale must come to terms with his friend's dark transformation, highlighting the costs of betrayal and the relentless nature of life on Mars.
Among the contents
Hale cut the motor as he swerved off the ancient plastic roadway. His one-man beetle thumped over the shoulder and, wheels whispering, coasted down the sandy, moonlit slope. It threaded between mighty linla cacti that had the size and shape of spaceships towering grey in the night. He braked it to a slanting stop and got out, a big, long-legged man who carefully kept the little car between himself and the Martian water temple that sat a short distance away where the dunes of the desert began. He thought, Strange to be afraid of getting shot by Randy.
Weiss said, from the shadows, "Better get out of the moonlight, Hale. That beetle won't stop a blaster bolt."
Hale crossed to the clot of men that made dark blurs under the linla. Weiss said, "What took you so long?"
