The Jones, Alice Eleanor 1916-1981 creator Freas, Kelly 1922-2005 text utu 2019 monographic en 1 online resource : multiple file formats "The Happy Clown" by Alice Eleanor Jones is a science fiction novella written in the mid-20th century. The narrative unfolds in a future society characterized by enforced conformity and societal perfection, exploring themes of individuality and nonconformity through the life of a young boy named Steven Russell, who struggles against the pressures of a homogenized world. Throughout the story, Steven, born a nonconformist in a society that prioritizes uniformity, faces numerous challenges stemming from his discontent with the artificial perfection surrounding him. As he grows up, his peculiarities lead his parents to seek help from a clinic, where his brilliance is recognized but ultimately pressured into conformity through a procedure known as "Steyner." This leads Steven into a successful career as the Happy Clown, a television persona that epitomizes the very ideals he despises. Despite achieving societal approval, he grapples with feelings of loneliness and a loss of identity, especially after a traumatic experience surrounding the woman he loves, Denise. The story culminates in his resignation from the acting world and a return to a more ordinary life, revealing both the price of conformity and the lingering desire for authentic connections. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Release date is 2019-05-03 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net Original publication data not identified Science fiction Short stories Psychological fiction Conformity -- Fiction PS Original publication data not identified https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/59418 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/59418 UtSlPG 260607 20260610134352.0 59418