Eric Cesar Morales
Professor Warner
English 112B
3 May 2006
Perspectives of the Perfect World
The concept of a utopia, a place of ideal perfection, is a pervasive theme in many literary works. This genre is particularly accessible to young adult readers, as they are more prone to the qualities of optimism and imagination, which allows them to delve deeper into this creation of an ideal world. However, the idea of a utopian society hardly ever pans out, especially in literature, for quite frequently the perfect world to one person is just the opposite to another. Under this new viewpoint, the world then becomes a dystopia, a perfect world gone wrong, which is why every piece of literature that pertains to the idea of a utopia holds within it the makings of a dystopia as well, for it is only a matter of perception.
Overall, these utopian/dystopian worlds have many correlations with each other. For instance, they are regularly set in a distant time or place, and they are often the result of a cataclysmic event. In many books, a new government or changed government attempts to recreate the world after the horrible even so as to avoid the inherent problems of the previous society. Unfortunately, by attempting to avoid one set of problems, they inadvertently create a new type of social chaos.
A cogent example of a utopia gone awry is that of the Garden of Eden in which lived Adam and Eve. In their story, they existed in a virtual paradise, and their cataclysmic event that dispelled them was the eating of the apple from the tree of knowledge. However, even their utopia can be interpreted as a dystopia when seen through the eyes of Satan; it is all objective. By the same manner of perspective, the current governments that are occupying the world are also, in a sense, the dystopian products of the aforementioned catastrophic event.
In either case, governments always begin with an ideal, a belief that a better world can be created, but this often remains an ideal. The truth of reality is that there are many problems facing society, and the hopes that these problems can be repaired are placed with the adolescents of today�s world.
Literature then serves an important purpose, for through reading literature that pertains to these utopian/dystopian societies, adolescents are able to encourage their creativity and imagination in striving to construct a perfect world. Above all, they are able to become more knowledgeable to the pertinent needs of a society, and they are able to understand that the needs of the many should always outweigh the desires of the privileged few; after all, it is all a question of perception.
Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid�s Tale. New York: Random House, 1998.
This story is about the life of a woman, Offred, in the Republic of Gilead, a society that is created after the overthrow of America. Offred is recruited as a handmaid, a child bearer, because of the dangerously low reproduction rates due to chemical spills, nuclear waste, and other hazardous situations. This position in society forces her to be subjugated by an elite, childless couple, for which she is entitled to lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander, the husband, impregnates her. This book, a classic example of a dystopia, contains within it many prevalent issues in society, such as feminism, birth control, and religion. Also, although this book delves into the seedy underbelly of the Republic of Gilead, in the eyes of the Commander, a man with nearly infinite power, the society contains aspects that are consistent with his version of a perfect world.
Burgess, Anthony. A Clockwork Orange. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1986.
This book is categorized as a dystopian science fiction novel, and it chronicles the life of Alex, a fifteen-year-old English hoodlum. Set in the future, Alex and his droogs, his gang, set out on their daily, illegal adventures, which increase in severity from assault, to robbery, to arson, to a fight with a rival gang, to rape, and then to murder. While in prison, Alex acts as a model inmate and is then selected for an experimental, governmental procedure to cure him of his violent impulses. As a result of the procedure, Alex is unable to engage in any type of violence, even self-defense, and he becomes violently ill whenever he hears a certain song. This procedure serves as a symbol for the increasing amount of control that the government is trying to possess over its citizens. Burgess uses the governments overwhelming desire to invasively manipulate the free will of individuals and the consequential horrible events to demonstrate the detrimental aspects of a dystopian society.
"Forever Ware." Eerie Indiana. Fox. 15 Sept. 1991.
Marshall Teller is a fourteen-year-old adolescent, who lives in a community that as he puts it �(is) a place so wholesome, so squeaky clean, you could only find it on TV. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. Sure, my new hometown �looks� normal enough, but look again.� This suburban community at first appears to be the popular utopian vision of the American Dream come true, but the series urges one to look underneath the illusion of normality, for Eerie is swarming with unusual things. For instance, there are women who seal themselves in giant kitchenware to stay young, werewolves, even Elvis, who lives on Marshall's paper route. Along with his new friend, ten-year-old Simon Holmes, Marhall is out to investigate Eerie's abnormalities, and to keep record of it in hopes to one day show the world. This series provides a very interesting and unique way to confront the idea of a utopia/dystopia, for by using the fa�ade of an American community, the series is able to take the concept of a utopia/dystopia and make it more applicable to the lives of adolescents in a very entertaining matter.
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. Herland. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1998.
This book relates a type of feminist utopia that three male explorers discover. In this land, there are no men, and, in all actuality, there is no need for them. The women are completely self-sufficient, because they fill every role in a traditional �bi-gender� society. The women, however, knowing of a time when their society included men, wished to become, as they put it, a �bisexual civilization� again, and they accepted the three male explorers into their society for that specific purpose. This book is particularly interesting because of the potential reception that male audiences may have. It is, of course, understandable that many men would look at a society where they are deemed as obsolete to not be �perfect.� This makes the book very valuable as a method of exploring and discussing the possible attributes it contains that may lead the different genders to consider it to be either more of a dystopia or a utopia.
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin Putnam Inc., 1979.
Within this novel, Golding attempts to illustrate, through male children, that the innate human nature is of violence, instant gratification, and social supremacy, which is in direct opposition to the more popular belief of human kind�s natural inclination to gravitate towards civilization. With the crashing of a transport plane, which is carrying a group of school children, onto a deserted island, Golding is given the characters necessary to create his version of a dystopia. Golding endeavors to justify his claim through personifying the opposing forces within the characters of Jack, representing chaos, and Ralph, representing civilization, so that when Ralph is defeated, the nature of civilization is as well. This book then takes the idea of a dystopia to a different level, as the society discussed is composed entirely of male characters ranging from childhood to adolescence. I chose this book because the savage anarchy is directed by adolescents against adolescents, and the actions of the characters can then be understood or denounced by the young adult readers based on their own hypothetical actions.
Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Wheaton: Tyndale, 1996.
The
story of Adam and Eve is located within the book of Genesis. This story relates the tale of the
Garden of Eden, the original paradise on Earth. The story states that before the fall of mankind, the lives
of people contained no pain, suffering, or loss, which is a very appealing
concept. Unfortunately, after the
fall, this utopia gave way to all the horrors that are present in life.
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: HarperCollins, 1998.
This is a futuristic dystopia that satirizes aspects of life present in the 20th century. In particular, the book depicts the increasing movement towards using science to dictate nature through the use of the Central London Hatching and Conditioning Center where identical human embryos are created and then separated into different castes of society. Other features of society are satirized; for instance, the prevalence of instant gratification with alcohol and pills, the idolatry of individuals, and the growing disdain of personal education and nature, are all aspects present in modern society and then exaggerated within this novel. This book raises very important issues that are still present in modern day society, and adolescents can choose from a variety of topics, such as cloning, as a basis for discussion.
Jackson, Shirley. The Lottery. New York: Scribner, 1971.
This is a grizzly tale of a pastoral community�s method at maintaining their existence. Within the story, every year a lottery is held in which every member of the community participates. Unfortunately, it is not a lottery that people wish to win, for the winner is stoned by the community. Beautifully written, the tale depicts a dystopian vision of sacrificing the one for the many, which brings about a new perspective on what lengths people should go through for the prosperity of the community.
Orwell, George. Animal Farm. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1946.
Placed within the setting of a classically rural farm, this story relates the methods used by animals to create their own farm that is free of human oppression and cruelty. After defeating the farmer, Mr. Jones, the animals take control of the farm and form seven commandments for the animals to live by. The pigs, stating they are the most intelligent of the group, immediately take over the farm and begin conducting business the way they see fit. In an ironic plot twist, the actions of the pigs start to emulate those of the humans, and soon, the animals become almost completely indistinguishable from the humans that were initially abhorred. I chose this particular story because of its political undertones that serve to teach political social issues through a dystopia. The story is multilayered, and its use of animals helps introduce complex issues to adolescents.
Rand, Ayn. Anthem. Caldwell, Idaho: The Caxton Printers, Ltd., 1969.
Equality 7-2521 is the title, not the name, of the protagonist in this story. Within her book, Rand creates a society where individuality is punishable by death, and each person is allotted a social concept and a number as a means of distinction. Equality 7-2521 is not a normal character, for he is incapable of completely conforming to the myopic viewpoints of the dystopian society from which he is born. This story is particularly interesting because not only does it begin after contemporary society has been decimated to make way for the dystopia, but it changes from the norm and ends with Equality 7-2521�s discovery of his own personal utopia, where he can be himself. This story furthers to blur the line between traditional perceptions of utopias and dystopias, for in it, one is born of the other and vice versa.