(There is also a 4 For The Future edited by Geoff Conklin and including "Enough Rope," a Wing Alak story by Poul Anderson.)
The first person narrator has been condemned to death and has dismissed the chaplain because he wants to:
"...claim the dignity of remaining myself." (p. 45)
By remaining himself, he means not conforming to society and I agree with him. It also makes sense to work towards understanding and transcending "myself" - but only if you are the sort of person to whom that makes sense. I cannot say what I would do if I were condemned to death. I might discuss philosophy with the chaplain, then invite him to pray silently while I meditated. Thus, both our beliefs would be expressed. It is a truism that everyone has to face death in his own way. Any kind of judgmentalism - about whether the condemned did or did not pray etc - would be an abomination. Apparently that is what might happen in this story. His children might be told that:
"...he was a dirty atheist..." (ibid.)
God forbid.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Dang, I don't have "High Treason" in any of the works of Anderson that I've collected. Maybe I should include it in my "Uncollected Works of Anderson" article, listing it as one of those stories seldom or never republished.
I would be interested in how and why this officer was convicted of treason.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
He disobeyed an order to bombard a planet. You will find that this story has been discussed previously on the blog.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Thanks! We really need a COMPLETE COLLECTED WORKS OF POUL ANDERSON.
Ad astra! Sean
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