Institution Of Missing Persons

Throughout history, authors and thinkers have been interested in the idea of Utopia, an ideal society where people would live a happy and harmonious life. In his story “Of Missing Persons” Jack Finney focuses on this theme but from a totally new perspective: if ideal place existed, would people be ready for it? Based on the story of Charley Ewell, the main character, the author conveys an idea that the way to living a different life is always open but there are obstacles and limitations inside a person’s mind that prevent from taking the right decisions.In fact, Charley Ewell is a typical average man who works in a bank and realizes that his life will be always the same, devoid of interest or pleasure. He accidentally meets a man in a bank who tells him of a special opportunity to travel to the perfect planet Verna. This secret service is provided by Acme Travel Bureau but one can only use their chance once, because otherwise it is going to be too late. Charley is decisive about changing his life and goes through all procedures until he appears one in a group of people waiting in a shabby barn for transportation to Verna. At this moment he believes that they have been cheated, so wants to leaves the place. However, then he sees light and the glimpse of Verna, while all other people in the barn are taken there. After this, he never has the chance to repeat it though he does not stop trying.Speaking about the character of Charley Ewell, it is worth saying that he faces a dilemma that many people actually face: to go on living the unbearable life doing the work he hates or to risk everything in favor of a better but unstable future. On the one hand, he is rather decisive to escape because he has nothing to love. He is quite lonely and does not have a family, so there is no special bond that links him to the earth. His self-description reminds of a life-style that many young people live in big cities. Although the story was written in 1955, it is still strikingly relevant today: “ I don’t like the job, I don’t make much money, and I never will…I see more movies than I want to, read too many books, and I am sick of meals alone in a restaurant. I have ordinary abilities, looks and thoughts”( Finney, p.127).In order to understand the character of Charley Ewell, his motivation should be considered dealing with a decision to move to Verna. The idea is not that he is especially courageous but rather that he is extremely tired of what he has at the moment. In fact, he does not want for sure what he wants, and this sounds very much alike to what many people think of contemporary civilization. When the old man in the agency asks about his desire, he answers that he wants to escape: “From New York, I’d …