Ship of Fools (story)
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Ship of Fools is a short story written by Ted Kaczynski in which various people, representing oppressed groups in American society, squabble aboard a ship headed for destruction in the North Pole. The cabin boy, likely a metaphor for the author himself, warns of their impending peril. However, he is dismissed as a fascist and counter-revolutionary, and thus all of the characters drown when the ship is crushed. The story can be seen as an allegory of Kaczynski's vision of how society is progressing as outlined in his manifesto.
Historical Background
The theme in Kaczynski's Ship of Fools is similar to Plato's Allegory of the cave. Prior to Kaczynski's Ship of Fools, there was a moralistic poem written in 1494 by Sebastian Brant titled Das Narrenschiff (Ship of Fools) as well as a novel titled Ship of Fools by Katherine Anne Porter based on this earlier work, both of which employ characters who symbolize different vices upon a ship together.