Title: Country of the Kind
Author: Damon Knight
Date of First Publication: February 1956
Place of Publication: The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Type: Short Story
Characters: No Character
Themes: BYRONIC HERO; POSTHUMAN; MAD SCIENTIST/MONSTER; RACE/POLITICS; SYMPATHETIC MONSTER
Critical Summary: The main character of the story is excommunicated from society for killing his first partner, Elen, and the reader is introduced to him as he wanders in isolation creating wanton destruction. This excommunication is achieved through an altering of his biological makeup in a way that forces a seizure onto him before he can perform any acts of violence, while also making his excrement pungent and identifiable such that anyone may flee his presence. He wanders from place to place, driving people away with his destructive tendencies. He constantly leaves signs, carvings, and written messages to try to reconnect with society, but is unsuccessful. He finally confronts a group of people to reveal his truth to them, the truth that society has blinded them to reality, but the seizures take him before he attacks a woman. He is again left, just like all the other times, alone and unheard as he reads a crumpled message he tried to share regarding perceptual freedom from the censorship of their society.
The main character, although unnamed, connects with several characters and themes in Frankenstein. The first character that came to mind while reading this was Justine Moritz, who was a scapegoat for Victor’s violence. Thenon-violent society is inherently flawed and unable to create true justice because it places the blame of natural violence on to individuals, rather than seeking to teach or rehabilitate, and thus is similarly scapegoating. In this way, the Mad Scientist/Monsters theme is relevant, as the Mad Scientists in this case aren’t mad due to their pursuit of scientific exploration, but rather their use of science as a way of societal suppression and thus creation of social Monsters.
The main character’s progression is much the inverse of The Creature, as the Creature is pushed to violence by society, whereas the main character kills impulsively and is completely cut off from society. Elen echoes a similar role in the narrative as Elizabeth Frankenstein, as she is paired with the unfortunate man and dies for it. After being cut off because of Elen’s murder, he becomes misanthropic and creative, evoking the will, insight, and malevolence of Byron. In this sense, he is a Byronic Hero, as he seeks to enlighten the people that exclude him constantly, and even though he does try to attack them violently, it’s only out of sheer frustration and confusion with his situation. He is forced to become a Last Man/Posthuman with regards to violent urges, as society has apparently moved away from those traits while he has not. This thereafter brings in Race/Politics, as he is targeted for his difference and placed in an ultimate untouchable caste. The story creates a certain amount of sympathy for the man, who has been made into a Sympathetic Monster, despite his own terrible description of Elen’s murder, as there is no chance for him to learn or atone for his sin; he is damned to wander forever, alone.
Administrative Notes: Mark Zschaechner, CSUF; Amanda Howard, CSUF (editing)