Pipe of Peace by James McKimmey

"Pipe of Peace" by James McKimmey, Jr. is a science fiction short story that was likely written in the early 1950s. The narrative explores themes of revolution and the human condition, focusing on the struggles of farmers against an increasingly mechanized and oppressive society. The story paints a vivid picture of a farmer who refuses to work, prompting reflections on the power dynamics between labor, technology, and survival. The plot follows Henry, a farmer who decides to stop working the land as a form of protest against the mechanization of agriculture, believing that if all farmers unite to cease their labor, they can disrupt the systems that threaten their livelihoods. His wife, worried about their survival, tries to convince him to return to work, but Henry remains resolute in his stance. The story takes a dark turn when Henry is forcibly taken away by men who represent the mechanized oppression he fears, leaving behind an image of his pipe, symbolizing his lost peace and humanity. This stark conclusion questions the cost of human resistance in a world increasingly governed by machines. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

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About this eBook

Author McKimmey, James, 1923-2011
Title Pipe of Peace
Series Title Produced from If Worlds of Science Fiction May 1953.
Credits Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net
Reading Level Reading ease score: 95.7 (5th grade). Very easy to read.
Language English
LoC Class PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature
Subject Science fiction
Subject Short stories
Category Text
eBook-No. 30380
Release Date
Last Update Oct 24, 2024
Copyright Public domain in the USA.
Downloads 334 downloads in the last 30 days.

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