Utopia and Dystopia: A Sampler

I. Introduction

Many people believe that modern society is flawed in a number of ways. Many people have ideas about what is wrong with modern society and how life would be better if these flaws could somehow be corrected. Both utopian and dystopian works illustrate visions of the ideal society. The main difference is whose idea of the �ideal� society is presented. In utopian fiction, the powers that run society have ostensibly good intentions; in dystopian fiction, the intentions are more clearly negative or self-serving. The recurring theme is the elimination of disorder. Interestingly, the Greek origin of the word �utopia� means both �no place� and �good place,� giving a sense of a place that might be desirable but does not and perhaps should not exist in the real world.

The textbook Literature for Today�s Young Adults describe utopian and dystopian fiction as:

[Neither] science fiction nor fantasy, but they share characteristics with both�As with science fiction, utopian and dystopian books are usually set in the future, with technology having played a role in establishing the conditions out of which the story grows�once the situation is established, authors focus less on technology and more on sociological and psychological or emotional aspects of the story. (219-220)

The textbook�s authors take a somewhat unenthusiastic view of this genre. According to LFTYA, materials in this genre �usually lack excitement and fast-moving plots.� (223). The materials on the following list defy this assertion, providing plenty of excitement and reading pleasure along with sociological insight.

II. Materials

A. Books

Card, Orson Scott. Ender�s Game. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 1977.

What�s it about? Andrew �Ender� Wiggins, six years old, thinks he is playing computer-simulated war games. He is, in fact, engaged in something far more desperate. The result of genetic experimentation, Ender may be the military genius Earth desperately needs in a war against an alien enemy seeking to destroy all human life. The only way to find out is to throw him into ever-harsher training, to chip away and find the diamond inside, or destroy him utterly. Ender is about to grow up fast.

So what? Originally published in 1977, Ender�s Game remains highly popular with young adults. It�s easy to see why. Card brings the cool space-age action and the emotionally gripping story that gallops along at an exciting pace without getting the reader lost. Also, Card fills his novel with children who are, for the most part, every bit as intelligent and capable as the adult characters---sometimes more so. As an adult, I found that I had to suspend some disbelief regarding the decision making capabilities of grammar school age children, but this aspect will probably appeal to young adults. Card raises important questions about the nature of human good and evil, as well as whether the good of the individual versus the good of society as a whole.

Farmer, Nancy. House of the Scorpion. New York: Atheneum, 2002.

What�s it about? Matteo Alacr�n is a clone: his DNA was grown from a patch of skin donated by his �father.� Then he was brought to gestation for nine months inside a cow and then cut out of her. He is growing up in a land located on what used to be the U.S.-Mexico border and ruled by his �father,� an all-powerful drug lord known as El Patr�n. Clones are believed to be inferior to regular humans, and so Matt is either mistreated or ignored by everyone. Everyone, that is, except for his surrogate mother Celia, his bodyguard Tam Lin, and his playmate Mar�a. Matt�s life is privileged but deeply lonely and isolated. Then, a crisis befalls El Patr�n, and Matt faces a choice between serving the nefarious purpose for which he was created or escaping to an unknown future.

So what? This book is set in a world where a block of land between the United States and Mexico has been given over to the control of drug lords. Farmer weaves the timely topics of drugs and cloning into a story of timeless themes of love, betrayal, and the desire to belong. The characters are believable and the scientific aspects of the story are entirely plausible. Farmer faces the darker side of human nature with directness and honesty.

Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: HarperCollins, 1932.

What�s it about? �Community, Identity, Stability� is the motto of Aldous Huxley�s World State. Here everyone consumes daily grams of soma to fight depression, babies are born in laboratories, and the most popular form of entertainment is a �Feelie,� a movie that stimulates the senses of sight, hearing, and touch. Though there is no violence and everyone is provided for, Bernard Marx feels something is missing and senses his relationship with a young woman has the potential to be much more than the confines of their existence allow.

So what? This is the classic example of utopian fiction that many teens will read in school. This is one of the many materials in this bibliography that raises the question of whether a utopia can really qualify as the �good society� that the Greek origin of the word implies.

Le Guin, Ursula. Gifts. Orlando: Harcourt, 2004.

What�s it about? Scattered amongst poor, desolate farms, the families of the Uplands possess gifts. Wondrous gifts: the ability---with a glance, a gesture, a word---to summon animals, bring forth fire, move the land. Fearsome gifts: the power to twist a limb, chain a mind, inflict a wasting illness. The Uplanders live in constant fear that one family might unleash its gift against another. Two young people, friends since childhood, decide not to use their gifts. One, a girl refuses to bring animals to their death in the hunt. The other, a boy, wears a blindfold lest his eyes and his anger kill.

So what? Like Gathering Blue, this title illustrates a society in which basic survival is much more of a struggle than most young adults in the U.S. will be familiar with. Like many of the titles on this list, the story of Gifts features adult caregivers who may or may not be trustworthy. I found the large cast of characters to be occasionally confusing and the pace a bit slow, but the dilemma of the protagonist is gripping and the conclusion unexpected.

Levin, Ira. The Stepford Wives. New York: Random House, 1972.

What�s it about? From page 3--4: �The Welcome Wagon lady, sixty if she was a day but working at youth and vivacity (ginger hair, red lips, a sunshine-yellow dress), twinkled her eyes and teeth at Joanna and said, �You�re really going to like it here! It�s a nice town with nice people! You couldn�t have made a better choice!� Her brown leather shoulderbag was enormous, old and scuffed; from it she dealt Joanna packets of powdered breakfast drink and soup mix, a toy-size box of non-polluting detergent, a booklet of discount slips good at twenty-two local shops, two cakes of soap, a folder of deodorant pads��I do the �Notes on Newcomers,� she sad.� So what? Stepford is the seemingly perfect, white-picket-fence kind of town that has been idealized in America, but something is rotten. Another title which asks when utopia becomes dystopia.

Lowry, Lois. Gathering Blue. New York: Random House, 2000.

What�s it about? Kira, an orphan with a twisted leg, lives in a world where the weak are cast aside. She fears for her future until the all-powerful Council of Guardians spares her. Kira is a gifted weaver and is given a task that no other community member can carry out. While her talent keeps her alive and brings certain privileges, Kira soon realizes that she is surrounded by mysteries and secrets. No one must know of her plans to uncover the truth about her world---and to find out what exists beyond it.

So what? Gathering Blue provides a counterpoint to The Giver. In The Giver, differences and individuality are ignored; in the village of Gathering Blue, individual talents appear to be celebrated, while weaknesses are scorned. Kira lives in a harsh society in contrast to the faux cheerfulness of Jonah�s world, but raises much of the same issues regarding authority and secrets. This book also raises the question of to what extent one�s talents belong to oneself and to what extent one is obligated to use one�s gifts for the greater good. As if to emphasize the contrast between the utopian world of The Giver and the dystopia of Gathering Blue, Lowry�s writing here is beautiful but melancholy, as opposed to the sometimes �flat� tone of The Giver.

Lowry, Lois. The Giver. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993.

What�s it about? At the age of twelve, Jonas, a young boy from a seemingly utopian, futuristic world, is singled out to receive special training from The Giver, who alone holds the memories of the true joys and pains of life.

So what? Jonas�s community is the classic utopia on the surface, with dystopia lurking just underneath. Lowry cleverly shows how the community�s attempts to protect its citizens from difficulty, confusion, conflict, and sadness rob it of beauty and joy. Perhaps in line with the theme of self-determination, the ending is open to interpretation.

Lowry, Lois. Messenger. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004.

What�s it about? In this novel that unites characters from The Giver and Gathering Blue, Matty, a young member of a utopian community that values honesty, conceals an emerging healing power that he cannot explain or understand.

So what? For those who want to know what happens after the end of Lowry�s two earlier forays into utopia and dystopia, this title provides the answer. The community of this novel also contrasts with Gathering Blue in that people who have disabilities are valued and not seen as dragging the community down.

Plato. Republic. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1992.

What�s it about? Plato�s Republic, via Socrates, describes his Utopia and discusses most of the major problems he was to concern himself with in his other writings.

So what? Plato�s vision of the perfect society leaves much room for controversy over how perfect it really is.

Pullman, Philip. The Golden Compass. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996.

What�s it about? Twelve-year-old orphan Lyra Belacqua is content to run wild among the scholars of Jordan College, with her daemon familiar, Pantalaimon, always by her side. When her uncle, Lord Asriel, returns from the North with tales of mystery and danger, it seems to have little to do with her---even the rumor of the severed child. But his visit sets off a chain of events that draws Lyra into the heart of a terrible struggle---a struggle that involves scientists performing hideous experiments on children. Through it all, there dawns in Lyra a sense that her success or failure may mean even more than simply life or death.

So what? Pullman walks the line between fantasy and sci-fi. Although this is usually thought of as a fantasy title, it was shelved in the Science Fiction section of my local library. This is a classic good-versus-evil story, as well as a continuation of the theme of lovely exteriors hiding rotten interiors in society.

B. Films

The Matrix. Dir. Wachowski Brothers. Perf. Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, and Carrie-Anne Moss. Warner Bros., 1999.

What�s it about? The day-in, day-out world we live in is a hoax. It is an elaborate deception spun by all-powerful machines of artificial intelligence that control us.

So what? One pill keeps you in safe, boring reality. Another pill takes you to the authentic world, one of excitement, romance, but also great danger. Which would you choose? This is easily the best film of the Matrix trilogy, about the value of truth and the power of belief.

Serenity. Dir. Joss Whedon. Perf. Nathan Fillion, Ron Glass, Summer Glau, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, and Adam Baldwin. Universal Studios, 2005.

What�s it about? The crew of the Serenity is getting desperate. They have lain lower and lower to protect their doctor, Simon, and his telepathic traumatized little sister, River, from the alliance. Simon rescued River from the Alliance one year earlier. This has made getting jobs harder and now the Serenity crewmembers are desperate. When they take River on a robbery during which Reavers (humans who have gone crazy and turned into cannibals) attack, Simon decides that it is time to leave the crew of the Serenity for his and River's safety. She then mutters "Miranda" and goes berserk and nearly shoots Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, until her brother says the safety word to put her to sleep. Reynolds decides to take them back on board for safety. But now an Alliance operative is on their tracks, making Reynolds determined to discover what "Miranda" is and what the Alliance is hiding.

So what?

The Truman Show. Perf. Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Natascha McElhone, Holland Taylor, and Ed Harris. Paramount, 1999.

What�s it about? Jim Carrey is Truman, a man whose life is a fake one. The place he lives is in fact a big studio with hidden cameras everywhere, and all his friends and people around him are actors who play their roles in the most popular TV series in the world: The Truman Show. Truman thinks that he is an ordinary man with an ordinary life and h as no idea about how he is being exploited. Until one day when he learns the truth. How will he react?

So what? How would you react if you found out one day that your safe, pretty life was a complete lie? Like �The Matrix,� this film explores the nature of human relationships and the value of the truth.

C. Music

Green Day. American Idiot. Reprise, 2004.

What�s it about? This is a �concept� album, or an album that tells a story. It�s the story of a character called Jesus of Suburbia, a young man living in suburbia with his mother and hated stepfather. Fueled by prescription and illicit drugs, soda pop, mindless escapism, and soul-stealing �reality� TV, Jesus leaves behind his dysfunctional family and dystopian suburban life to �breathe.� Along the way, he befriends a street kid named St. Jimmy, the head of a group of street kids known as the Underbelly, and a girl known only as Whatsername.

Utopia and Dystopia: A Sampler

I. Introduction

So what? This album is an affecting tale of isolation, loss, and finding one�s own identity in relation to one�s society and one�s peers.