An astronaut returns to Earth after a 10-year mission and finds a society that he barely recognizes in science fiction novel by the Solaris author, whose works âmake our weary universe seem pale and undistinguished by comparisonâ (The Washington Post).
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StanisÅaw Lemâs Return from the Stars recounts the experiences of Hal Bregg, an astronaut who returns from an exploratory mission that lasted ten yearsâalthough because of time dilation, 127 years have passed on Earth. Bregg finds a society that he hardly recognizes, in which danger has been eradicated. Children are âbetrizatedâ to remove all aggression and violenceâa process that also removes all impulse to take risks and explore. The people of Earth view Bregg and his crew as âresuscitated Neanderthals,â and pressure them to undergo betrization. Bregg has serious difficulty in navigating the new social mores.
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While Lemâs depiction of a risk-free society is bleak, he does not portray Bregg and his fellow astronauts as heroes. Indeed, faced with no opposition to his aggression, Bregg behaves abominably. He is faced with a choice: leave Earth again and hope to return to a different society in several hundred years, or stay on Earth and learn to be content.
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With Return from the Stars, Lem shows the shifting boundaries between utopia and dystopia.