000 02511cam a22003493u 4500
001 29458
003 UtSlPG
005 20260610133654.0
006 m
007 cr n
008 260607r2009||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d
040 _aUtSlPG
041 7 _aen
_2iso639-1
050 4 _aPS
100 1 _aSheckley, Robert,
_d1928-2005
245 1 0 _aCost of Living
264 1 _aSalt Lake City, UT :
_bProject Gutenberg,
_c2009
300 _a1 online resource :
_bmultiple file formats
336 _atext
_btxt
_2rdacontent
337 _acomputer
_bc
_2rdamedia
338 _aonline resource
_bcr
_2rdacarrier
490 1 _aProduced from Galaxy Science Fiction December 1952.
500 _aRelease date is 2009-07-19
508 _aProduced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
520 _a"Cost of Living" by Robert Sheckley is a science fiction short story written in the early 1950s. The narrative explores a future society marked by technological advancements that provide individuals with a luxurious lifestyle, yet this comes with a heavy burden of debt. The story likely delves into themes of consumerism, existential anxiety, and the implications of a society built on material ownership. The story follows Carrin, a middle-aged man grappling with the suicide of his neighbor, Miller, who seemingly had a perfect life filled with modern conveniences. As Carrin prepares for a visit from the finance man of the Avignon Electric company, he reflects on his own burdensome debt of over two hundred thousand dollars, accumulated in order to afford various household appliances and luxuries that define his life. The visit reveals the insidious nature of consumerism, where even his son's future earnings are up for negotiation to further finance this lifestyle. Throughout the story, Carrin's interactions with his family and the finance man accentuate the pressure to maintain appearances and the emotional toll of living in a society where happiness is deeply intertwined with material possessions, leading to a poignant examination of individual purpose and fulfillment in a technologically saturated existence. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
534 _nOriginal publication data not identified
653 _aScience fiction
653 _aShort stories
700 1 _aEmshwiller, Ed,
_d1925-1990
830 0 _aProduced from Galaxy Science Fiction December 1952.
856 4 0 _uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/29458
999 _c70306
_d70306