Examination Day - Henry Seslar

You can read this short story here.

Examination Day is a work of dystopian fiction with a focus on the oppression of knowledge and the mind. Despite it's length of just 2 pages Seslar develops a strong and relatable (yet slightly disturbing) tale foreshadowing the risks of the continuation of today's society. The determination of the government to remove the intelligent individuals highlights the awareness of the societal corruption created by them. Seslar uses this work as a blatant attack on the government in his direct reference to the "Government Educational Service". The most striking factor of this text to me is the fact the corruption passes into the family home where the father refuses to give the son any extra knowledge, when a home should be a place of freedom, suggesting it is impossible to escape for this totalitarian rule.

One of the most noticeable features of Seslar's story is his labeling of the boy as "600-115" when he goes to the facility highlighting the growing fear that people are becoming no more than just government statistics. The fact this statistic is formed for educational purposes means it can be supposed Seslar is highlighting the concern in the academic world that students are no more than just ''status earners" for the school in the modern day (a fear highlighted in multiple literary works, such as The History Boys). This same concern can also be seen in many aspect of modern life where people are becoming simply defined by a number, for example to banks we are just a credit card number. This  removes individual identity which seems to contradict with the way of the testing as intelligence is a very individual trait. Removal of identity could be seen as a portrayal of compassion by the government in that it is easier to kill someone who is no more than a number.

There is a Marxist message that can be portrayed within this text. Marxism is the focus on removing classes and creating equality. The government in this text seem to hold the belief that removal of intelligent individuals allows equal academic value and removes the risk of oppression. However, Seslar highlights the impossibility of reaching a Marxist state as there will always have to be a leader removing the corrupting force (commonly making this leader a corrupting force). However, this removal of the intelligent could be used as an approach to Marxism in the sense that as they have no one intelligent to take over power once the current leaders die there will be no one left to take charge making an equal society, and this gives a more positive message below the text. (Yet my favourite reading is still the ignorant nature of government).

The last sentence of this short story really sets the disturbing tone to this society, "Government Burial is ten dollars". In the grand scheme of things 10 dollars is not a lot of money and shows that the government really has no respect for the individual. In comparison to the current cost of living and price it is to raise a child (currently averaging at £250,000) $10 is nothing and gives the sense that it could in fact be looked on as the easy way out, especially for the parents, which is a very sinister idea.

All in all, this is the best short stories I've ever read (excluding Hemingway's 6 word story, "For sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn") and raises so many questions in it's short text. I would recommend this for anyone of any age group especially those of a politically literate mind. Seslar I give you 10/10.