Conformity In Harlan Ellison's The Country Of The Kind

The Country of Conformity Fighting conformity has been a struggle among Sci-Fi authors since the beginning of Science Fiction literature. This fight against conformity is prevalent in Harlan Ellison’s work “Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman and Damon Knight’s work The Country of the Kind as the protagonists fight against the “perfect” society and some sort of authoritative power, as well as their struggle to stand up and be unique. Readers will be able to understand this with selected passages from each of these works.
Societal conformity is displayed with this quote from Henry David Thoreau “The mass of men serve the state thus, not as men mainly, but as machines, with their bodies.” (Ellison 466). As a society develops, there are
societal norms that develop with it. When people go against the grain, they are discriminated or outcaste. This is demonstrated in Knight’s work, “To think that I let him touch me!” (460), as well as in Ellison’s, “”You’re a non-conformist.” “That didn’t used to be a felony.” “It is now. Live in the world around you.”” (474). Such phrases reflect how humans, in a general sense, are in today’s society with the minority that doesn’t tend to conform.
With the repeated, derogatory use of “the Ticktockman” throughout “Repent, Harlequin!” displays the negativity portrayed of a dictator.
Not only can people be dictators but intangible objects such as time. “And so it goes. And so it goes. And so it goes. And so it goes goes goes goes goes tick tock tick tock tick tock and one day we no longer let time serve us, we serve time and we are slaves of the schedule…” (Ellison 471). As people, we use time to help organize our day, plan out special events, plan out leisure time, work time, and the list continues. This element of time becomes restrictive when we start to “serve time” (Ellison
471).
Even social pressures become just as much a dictator as displayed by the way the protagonist is treated in The Country of the Kind, “…the only sanction possible to our humane, permissive society. Excommunication: not to speak to him, touch him willingly, or acknowledge his existence” (Knight 461).
“That’s all.
That will make you free. Anyone can do it. Anyone. Someone. Anyone.” (Knight 465) is the plea from those that cry for help to be released from their burden of conformity. So how is one to fight against conformity? Take a stand. Readers can learn from the Harlequin, “He dipped, skimmed, and swooped over them; and then, scrunching about on the air-boat, he released the holding pins that fastened shut the ends of the homemade pouring troughs that kept his cargo from dumping prematurely. And as we pulled the trough-pins, the air-boat slid over the factory workers and one hundred and fifty thousand dollars’ worth of jelly beans cascaded down on the expresstrip.” (Ellison 469). The jelly beans in this instance show the fun the Harlequin pokes at the Ticktockman and the obsession to be on time. His desire to continually help other’s see this is demonstrated: “I have to go out again. I have to do something.” (Ellison 471). “”Repent, Harlequin!” said the Ticktockman. “Get stuffed!” the harlequin replied, sneering.”
(474).
Conformity, in some cases can protect one, but the fight against conformity is real. The protagonists in these two works from Ellison and Knight show readers what they can do to take a stand. It doesn’t have to take 150,000 dollars’ worth of jelly beans to do so, all it takes is one voice to take a stand. Sometimes, that’s all one needs to do. Stand up to the authorities. Go against the current. Be yourself.