Strikebreaker (Asimov)
Encyclopedia
Strikebreaker is a science fiction
short story
by Isaac Asimov
. It was first published in the January 1957 issue of The Original Science Fiction Stories under the title "Male Strikebreaker" and reprinted in the 1969 collection Nightfall and Other Stories
under the original title "Strikebreaker". Asimov has stated that the editorial decision to run the story as "Male Strikebreaker" represents his personal record for stupid title changes.
Strikebreaker had its genesis in June 1956 when Asimov, who then lived in Boston, Massachusetts, was planning a trip to New York City
. A group of some three dozen technicians was threatening to go on strike
, which would have the effect of shutting down the New York subway
system, making travel within the city virtually impossible. The threatened strike did not happen, and Asimov was able to make the trip, but the situation inspired him to write a story about a strike by a single man that would shut down an entire world.
planetoid
a hundred miles in diameter
which is home to an insular, idiosyncratic human colony of thirty thousand people, who have inhabited the planet in all three dimensions. A rigid caste
system has developed, with each occupation being confined to a particular set of families. A visiting sociologist from Earth
, Steven Lamorak, learns that an Elseverian named Igor Ragusnik has gone on strike
.
The Ragusnik family operates Elsevere's waste processing facility, and over the generations, the Ragusniks have become a one-family caste of untouchables, forbidden all contact with the rest of the colony. Igor Ragusnik has demanded that his family's isolation must end. Elsevere's ruling council has refused his demands, and if the strike is allowed to continue, Elsevere's waste processing machinery will break down and the entire colony will be wiped out by rampant disease.
When it becomes clear to Lamorak that neither side will give in, he reluctantly volunteers to operate the waste processing machinery himself. Seeing this, Ragusnik capitulates and goes back to work.
Lamorak assures Ragusnik that now that the other Elseverians are aware of how unhappy he is, they will eventually end his family's isolation. Ragusnik is unimpressed. Meanwhile, Lamorak learns that the rest of the Elseverians will no longer have anything to do with him; now that he has worked at Ragusnik's job, he is an untouchable himself - an 'inside man at the skonk works'.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
. It was first published in the January 1957 issue of The Original Science Fiction Stories under the title "Male Strikebreaker" and reprinted in the 1969 collection Nightfall and Other Stories
Nightfall and Other Stories
Nightfall and Other Stories is a book collecting previously published science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov. Asimov added a brief introduction to each story, explaining some aspect of the story's history and/or how it came to be written. The main criteria for inclusion were that they had...
under the original title "Strikebreaker". Asimov has stated that the editorial decision to run the story as "Male Strikebreaker" represents his personal record for stupid title changes.
Strikebreaker had its genesis in June 1956 when Asimov, who then lived in Boston, Massachusetts, was planning a trip to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. A group of some three dozen technicians was threatening to go on strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
, which would have the effect of shutting down the New York subway
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
system, making travel within the city virtually impossible. The threatened strike did not happen, and Asimov was able to make the trip, but the situation inspired him to write a story about a strike by a single man that would shut down an entire world.
Plot synopsis
The world in question is Elsevere, an extrasolarExtrasolar planet
An extrasolar planet, or exoplanet, is a planet outside the Solar System. A total of such planets have been identified as of . It is now known that a substantial fraction of stars have planets, including perhaps half of all Sun-like stars...
planetoid
Minor planet
An asteroid group or minor-planet group is a population of minor planets that have a share broadly similar orbits. Members are generally unrelated to each other, unlike in an asteroid family, which often results from the break-up of a single asteroid...
a hundred miles in diameter
Diameter
In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints are on the circle. The diameters are the longest chords of the circle...
which is home to an insular, idiosyncratic human colony of thirty thousand people, who have inhabited the planet in all three dimensions. A rigid caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
system has developed, with each occupation being confined to a particular set of families. A visiting sociologist from Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, Steven Lamorak, learns that an Elseverian named Igor Ragusnik has gone on strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
.
The Ragusnik family operates Elsevere's waste processing facility, and over the generations, the Ragusniks have become a one-family caste of untouchables, forbidden all contact with the rest of the colony. Igor Ragusnik has demanded that his family's isolation must end. Elsevere's ruling council has refused his demands, and if the strike is allowed to continue, Elsevere's waste processing machinery will break down and the entire colony will be wiped out by rampant disease.
When it becomes clear to Lamorak that neither side will give in, he reluctantly volunteers to operate the waste processing machinery himself. Seeing this, Ragusnik capitulates and goes back to work.
Lamorak assures Ragusnik that now that the other Elseverians are aware of how unhappy he is, they will eventually end his family's isolation. Ragusnik is unimpressed. Meanwhile, Lamorak learns that the rest of the Elseverians will no longer have anything to do with him; now that he has worked at Ragusnik's job, he is an untouchable himself - an 'inside man at the skonk works'.