Monkey on His Back
John Zarwell doesn't know who he is. Undergoing psychoanalysis on the alien world of St. Martin's to recover his fragmented memories, he uncovers a troubling truth: across dozens of worlds, he was a revolutionary, a spark for uprisings against tyranny, a man people turned to when oppression needed fighting. Now he wants only peace. But when a stranger named Vernon Johnson arrives seeking his help with another rebellion, Zarwell must confront an unbearable question: can a man truly escape his nature, or is the compulsion to act against injustice woven into the very fabric of his soul? The 'monkey on his back' becomes both burden and identity in this haunting 1960 Galaxy novella that builds psychological tension through philosophical inquiry rather than action. It's a stark, intelligent examination of whether altruism is a choice or a curse, and whether we ever really get to decide who we become.
