The Postman facts for kids
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Cover of first edition (hardcover)
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| Author | David Brin |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Post-apocalyptic dystopian |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
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Publication date
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1985 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) |
| Pages | 294 |
| Award | Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1986) |
| ISBN | 0-553-05107-5 |
| OCLC | 12215763 |
| 813/.54 19 | |
| LC Class | PS3552.R4825 P6 1985 |
The Postman is a science fiction novel by David Brin. It tells a story set in a world after a big disaster. This type of story is called post-apocalyptic and dystopian. The book is about a man who wanders through the empty lands of Oregon. He finds a United States Postal Service uniform. He puts it on and pretends to be a mail carrier and a government inspector. He says he works for the "Restored United States of America."
His mail delivery service and his claims about a new government give people hope. These people are in danger from a violent group called the Holnists. The first two parts of the story were published separately in 1982 and 1984. In 1997, a movie based on the novel was released. It starred Kevin Costner and Will Patton.
Contents
Story of The Postman
Even though the story is set after a disaster and has action, it is mostly about what makes a civilization. It also explores the importance of symbols. Each of the three main parts of the book focuses on a different symbol.
The Postman's Journey
The first symbol is the Postman himself, Gordon Krantz. He takes the uniform just to keep warm after losing almost everything to bandits. He travels among small towns, performing scenes from William Shakespeare plays. In return, he gets food and a place to stay. Gordon was a drama student before the world changed. He traveled to Oregon after a global disaster. This disaster involved powerful energy bursts called EMPs that destroyed electronics. Major cities were also ruined, and special weapons that spread diseases were released.
Gordon finds a mail sack and a postal uniform in an old postal van. He wears the uniform and takes the mail to a nearby town. He wants to trade them for food and shelter. At first, he doesn't plan to lie about being a real postman. But people are so desperate for hope that they believe his claim. They want to believe he represents the "Restored United States."
The Secret of Cyclops
Later, in the second part, Gordon finds a community in Corvallis, Oregon. This town is led by something called Cyclops. People believe Cyclops is a super smart computer that can think. They think it was created at Oregon State University and somehow survived the disaster.
However, the truth is that the machine stopped working during a battle. A group of scientists secretly keep up the idea that it still works. They do this to keep hope, order, and knowledge alive in the community. The scientists also claim to use Cyclops's advice to get food from the citizens. Gordon compares this to the Oracle of Delphi, an ancient Greek fortune-teller.
Fighting for Civilization
In the third part, the Postman joins forces with Cyclops's scientists. They go to war against a group called the "hypersurvivalist militia," also known as the Holnists. The Postman learns that the Holnists are also being pushed from the south, near Oregon's Rogue River area. The Holnists are named after their founder, Nathan Holn. He was an author who believed in a violent society focused on military power. Holn was executed before the story begins. But after the disaster, his followers attacked people trying to help and raided towns. This stopped the United States from recovering.
As the story reaches its most exciting part, the Postman makes friends with a strong group of people. They are descendants of ranchers, loggers, and Native Americans from Oregon's Umpqua Valley. They are led by a Native American who used to be in the U.S. military. These Umpqua people have a fighting culture similar to Native American tribes of the Old West. They are bitter enemies of the Holnists. They have always defeated the Holnists. But until the Postman arrived, they did not want to help the "weak" townsfolk of the Willamette Valley against the Holnists.
At the end of the book, the Postman discovers that the Holnists have another organized enemy to the South. This enemy is known by the symbol they use: the Bear Flag. The final scenes suggest that these different groups might come together. They could work to bring civilization back to the world.
Another important message in the story is about why the world fell apart. It wasn't just the EMPs, the ruined cities, or the diseases that destroyed society. It was mostly the Holnists. They attacked people trying to help others and raided communities during this difficult time.
See also
In Spanish: El cartero (novela) para niños
