Goma's Follicles by John De Courcy and Dorothy De Courcy
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"Goma's Follicles" by John De Courcy and Dorothy De Courcy is a science fiction short story published in the mid-20th century, specifically in the summer of 1948. The narrative revolves around the humorous and peculiar dynamics between human colonizers and the alien natives of Procyon IV, primarily examining the consequences of cultural misunderstandings related to something as ordinary as haircuts. The story captures the clash between the colonists' goals and the traditions
of the indigenous people. The plot unfolds with Captain Webster of the spaceship "Franklin" making an unscheduled stop on Procyon IV to pick up a passenger, Sam Purcell, who is desperate for a haircut after spending years on the planet. The local chief, Goma, is initially embarrassed about his long hair, which has become a source of ridicule among his peers. A series of events culminate in Goma being persuaded to get a haircut, only for it to be revealed that the native's hair is linked to their sensory nerves, resulting in significant emotional fallout for Goma. To maintain his status as chief and avoid shame, Goma ultimately negotiates for land by agreeing that the barber should leave—highlighting the absurdity and consequences of intercultural interactions. The story blends humor with a critique of colonial attitudes and the often-comical misunderstandings that can arise from them. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | De Courcy, John |
|---|---|
| Author | De Courcy, Dorothy |
| Title | Goma's Follicles |
| Series Title | Produced from Planet Stories Summer 1948 |
| Credits | Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 87.1 (6th grade). Easy to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Science fiction |
| Subject | Short stories |
| Subject | Human-alien encounters -- Fiction |
| Subject | Space colonies -- Fiction |
| Subject | Mines and mineral resources -- Fiction |
| Subject | Barbers -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 64646 |
| ISBN (HTML) | 979-8-238-64646-6 |
| Release Date | Feb 27, 2021 |
| Last Update | Oct 18, 2024 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 397 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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