Life Sentence

Life Sentence is a science fiction novella by James V. McConnell, written in the early 1950s. The story follows Oliver Symmes, an elderly man confined to a hospital for the aged, as he confronts his memories and the limitations of his existence in a society that has made death nearly obsolete. Through Oliver's reflections on his past crime and the struggle for autonomy, the narrative explores profound themes of aging, loss, and the desire for freedom in a life prolonged against one's will.