The Hero by Elaine Wilber

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About this eBook

Author Wilber, Elaine
Illustrator Orban, Paul, 1896-1974
Title The Hero
Note Reading ease score: 76.3 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.
Credits Produced by Frank van Drogen, Greg Weeks, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Summary "The Hero" by Elaine Wilber is a science fiction novella written in the late 1950s. The story follows the crew of an Earth exploration ship, Ship UXB-69311, as they encounter the alien culture of the planet Engraham. The narrative centers around themes of heroism, human desire, and the absurdity of social conventions, particularly in the context of the crew's interactions with the native inhabitants. In the unfolding plot, the crew, composed of bored and restless men, deals with the absurdities of their situation—namely, their encounters with the beautiful but biologically unresponsive women of Engraham. The protagonist, Dick Blunt, attempts to impress a local woman named Catataphinaria while the rest of the crew grapples with their own frustrations and urges. As the story progresses, it becomes evident that the naive assumptions of the crew regarding the Engrahamites are dramatically turned on their heads when Catataphinaria reveals her intelligence and the societal structures of her people. This culminates in a twist that challenges the crew’s expectations and their understanding of heroism, ultimately forcing them to confront the realities of their exploration and their place within it. The story provides a humorous yet insightful commentary on human nature, desire, and the consequences of colonialist attitudes. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Language English
LoC Class PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature
Subject Science fiction
Subject Short stories
Subject Human-alien encounters -- Fiction
Subject Life on other planets -- Fiction
Category Text
EBook-No. 35770
Release Date
Copyright Status Public domain in the USA.
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