The Customs Lounge by Annie Proulx
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"The Customs Lounge" by E. A. Proulx is a science fiction short story written in the early 1960s. The narrative is set in a surreal alien world where customs inspections take place for Earth immigrants and explores the interactions between these extraterrestrial inspectors and the bewildered human newcomers. Overall, the story delves into themes of cultural misunderstanding and the absurdities of immigration. In the Customs Lounge, a group of alien customs inspectors
share anecdotes about their experiences with Earth immigrants, whom they view with a mix of disdain and bemusement. The inspectors recount stories filled with humor and absurdity, highlighting their frustrations with the Earthlings' ignorance and the clever tricks they try to employ. As the inspectors learn of a new policy that will reroute Earth immigrants through Livestock instead of Immigration, they celebrate this decision, reflecting their deep-seated biases and stereotypes. Meanwhile, two human characters, mentioned to have been altered by robotic engineering, navigate the space, providing a glimpse into the strange coexistence of humans and aliens. The humorous exchanges and bizarre customs of the inspectors frame a lighthearted yet poignant commentary on the complexities of identity and belonging in an alien context. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Proulx, Annie, 1935- |
|---|---|
| Title | The Customs Lounge |
| Series Title | Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, September 1963 |
| Credits |
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 82.8 (6th grade). Easy to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Science fiction |
| Subject | Short stories |
| Subject | Extraterrestrial beings -- Fiction |
| Subject | Human-alien encounters -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 61424 |
| Release Date | Feb 16, 2020 |
| Last Update | Oct 17, 2024 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 265 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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