영어로 읽는 고전 _ 짐 하먼의 시카고는 어디에
Jim Harmon의 "The Place Where Chicago Was"는 1960년대 초에 쓰인 공상과학 소설이다. 이 이야기는 평화주의를 유도하는 기술을 통해 전쟁이 제거된 디스토피아적 미래를 배경으로 하며, 이로 인해 고난과 기이한 사회 구조로 이어지는 사회적 변화가 일어난다. 서사는 전통적 전쟁은 사라졌지만 새로운 형태의 갈등과 공격성으로 가득한 세계에서 살아가는 것의 도덕적 함의, 생존, 인간 조건이라는 주제에 초점을 맞춘다.
주인공 에이브 대니얼스는 강제된 평화주의와 사회적 쇠퇴를 배경으로 시카고가 있던 곳인 옛 미국의 황량한 지역으로 여행을 떠난다. 그는 자신의 세계관에 도전하는 여성 줄리를 만나고, 그들은 기술에 의해 강요된 평화주의에 저항하는 울프 팩이라고 알려진 집단과 관련되게 된다. 그들이 암울한 현실을 헤쳐나가면서, 그들은 삶, 죽음, 그리고 폭력의 본질에 관한 철학적, 윤리적 딜레마들을 논의한다. 대니얼스는 또한 이전 전쟁들과 사회적 변화로 인한 식량 위기를 해결할 방법을 모색하면서 전쟁 추방자인 "요나"로서의 자신의 정체성과 씨름한다. 이 소설은 모험, 철학, 그리고 깊은 내성의 요소들을 결합하여, 등장인물들이 폭력, 생존, 그리고 인류의 미래에 대한 자신들의 신념과 마주하는 야심찬 절정으로 이어진다.
Classics Read in English _ The Place Where Chicago Was by Jim Harmon
Jim Harmon's "The Place Where Chicago Was" is a science fiction novel written in the early 1960s. The story is set in a dystopian future where war is eliminated through technology that induces pacifism, resulting in societal changes that lead to hardships and bizarre social structures. The narrative focuses on themes of survival, the human condition, and the moral implications of living in a world stripped of traditional warfare yet filled with new forms of conflict and aggression.
Protagonist Abe Danniels embarks on a journey to a desolate region of the former United States, where Chicago once stood, against a backdrop of enforced pacifism and societal decay. He meets Julie, a woman who challenges his worldview, and they become involved with a group known as the Wolf Pack, who resist the pacifism imposed by technology. As they navigate their bleak reality, they discuss philosophical and ethical dilemmas concerning life, death, and the nature of violence. Danniels also struggles with his identity as a "Jonah," or war outcast, seeking ways to solve a food crisis resulting from previous wars and societal changes. The novel combines elements of adventure, philosophy, and deep introspection, leading to an ambitious climax where the characters confront their beliefs about violence, survival, and humanity's future.
Among the contents
It was late December of 1983. Abe Danniels knew that the streets and sidewalks of Jersey City moved under their own power and that half the families in America owned their own helicopters. He was pleased with these signs of progress. But he was sweating. He thought he was getting athlete's foot instead of athletic legs from walking from the New Jersey coast to just outside of Marshall, Illinois.
The heat was unbearable.
The road shimmered before him in rows of sticky black ribbon, on which nothing moved. Nothing but him.
He passed a signal post that said "Caution?Slow" in a gentle but commanding voice. He staggered on toward a reddish metallic square set on a thin column of bluish concrete. It was what they called a sign, he decided.
Danniels drooped against the sign and fanned his face with his sweat-ringed straw cowboy hat. The thing seemed to have something to say about the mid-century novelist, James Jones, in short, terse words.
