Life Sentence by James V. McConnell
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"Life Sentence" by James V. McConnell is a science fiction novella written in the early 1950s. The story explores themes of aging, death, and the struggle for autonomy within a society that has transformed individuals into perpetual wards of the state. The narrative follows Oliver Symmes, an elderly man confined to a hospital for the aged, where he grapples with his own memories and the limitations of his body, as well as
the profound feelings of loss and betrayal stemming from a pivotal crime in his youth. The story centers around Oliver Symmes and his tormented past that resurfaces as he exists in a future society where the concept of death has almost become obsolete. After committing murder in a fit of passion during his youth, Oliver is subjected to a life sentence that leads to his ongoing existence within a hospital setting, designed to prolong life regardless of quality. As he reflects on fleeting memories of love and the vitality of youth contrasted with the shadows of his present confinement, Oliver's struggle encapsulates a poignant exploration of the human condition—the desire to live and the instinct to seek an end to one’s suffering. The narrative crescendos with his futile attempts to escape the clutches of enforced life through self-destruction, ultimately highlighting the irony of a life unfulfilled and the fight against an imposed existence devoid of freedom. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | McConnell, James V., 1925-1990 |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Francis, Dick |
| Title | Life Sentence |
| Series Title | Produced from Galaxy Science Fiction January 1953. |
| Credits |
Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 84.7 (6th grade). 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. | 29889 |
| ISBN (HTML) | 979-8-238-29889-4 |
| Release Date | Sep 2, 2009 |
| Last Update | Jan 5, 2021 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 435 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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