Utopian and dystopian fiction in literature
Utopian Fiction:
- Definition: Utopian fiction portrays an ideal society or existence, often presenting a vision of a perfect world. However, this ideal may be unattainable or even paradoxical.
- Origins: The term “utopia” was coined by Sir Thomas More in his 1516 work titled “Utopia.” More’s book presents an ambiguous and ironic projection of an ideal state, combining both whimsy and critique1.
- Examples: Plato’s “The Republic” also outlines an ideal society, emphasizing justice, philosopher-kings, and communal living.
Dystopian Fiction:
- Definition: Dystopian fiction, the opposite of utopia, portrays nightmarish or inhuman societies. These settings often highlight the consequences of societal failures, authoritarianism, and misuse of technology.
- Characteristics: Dystopias share elements with science fiction and fantasy. They typically unfold in a future where technology has led to seemingly perfect living conditions gone awry2.
- Notable Works: George Orwell’s “1984,” Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World,” and Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” are iconic examples of dystopian literature.
Utopian and dystopian fiction serve as mirrors reflecting our hopes, fears, and societal choices. Whether we explore idealized visions or cautionary nightmares, these genres offer profound insights into human nature and the consequences of our actions.
Dystopia refers to the state that the revolutionary societies live in. Most of their characteristics are the repressive form of government that controls their citizen’s affairs. The dystopian society operates as a negative utopia system where things are not presented as ideal. The government in dystopian society is not liberal since it denies the people freedom of oppression. The totalitarian form of government is also accompanied by frequent wars and violence in various parts of the country.
I was able to find dystopia applicable in the book ‘the Bluest Eye’ by an American author, Toni Morrison. I arrived at this definition because of the treatment various characters receive from each other. The author presents the main character, Pecola as a rejected young girl. The environment she lives in is of abusive language and discouraging comments. The parents ironically become the chief people to speak of her ugliness (Morrison’s, (2007). I think that the parents could have allowed natural emotional expression to be priority among them. They however did not realize that thus suffered oppression instead of freedom exercised in utopia.
Characteristically, in the process of establishing a definition, it was clear that a dystopia society is filled with violence on all sides with no trace of peace. Example, the parents quarrel and fight frequently and this denies her peace thus she is always troubled (Morrison’s, 2007). The parents are also personally troubled and run to seek peace from other areas. For instance the mother, Pauline finds pressure to work for a white.
The dad on the other end tries to console his disappointments by raping her daughter. The family generally does not appreciate the essence of a family as a close- nit unit that esteems each other’s abilities and disabilities. The dystopia overrides the events characterizing the environment of a person. An example that is opposite to the dystopia is the republic mode of government which is referenced from a book. Therefore I rated this form of government as utopia. After analyzing it characteristics, I found out that the republic refers to a form of government in which the leadership is spearheaded by the people (Everdell, 2007). This means the citizens have a voice in the decision making process of the country.
On the other hand, the republican mode of legislation is by use of the stipulated laws of the country. Republican form of government contrasts to the monarchy leadership where the ruler dictates what is expected to be done in all situations. The republic form of government can therefore be classified under utopia. Dystopia defines the events of a people who are not able to express themselves as freely as they should. The major characteristic I found is that the leadership system is totalitarian. The dystopia however incorporates a faint expression of emotions and affection.
I found the free expression of distinctive personalities in this book “Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” though at a distance. I rated it a dystopia since the author explains how someone investigated a friend’s strange behavior (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, 2009). I suppose if there was no freedom in the society, Dr Jekyll could not have had the room to express a twin spilt moral conduct. In this case the strange behaviors were both evil and good. The definition process thus means spots of liberality are detected in the personality expression.
The dystopia society definition in the ‘Blade Runner’ remained operational as null self expression. The people are only expected to do what they are directed to do for the specific moment of time (Bukatman, 2008). The process I adopted, largely matched up with this definition. However there were some characters that chose to defy the orders without caring what the consequences would be. In the fiction film ‘Blade runner’ I focused on involves manufacture of human-like robots that are sent into the off-world for very dangerous activities. They are sent to the protectorates with an instruction never to return to earth otherwise they deserved execution by the blade runners (Bukatman, (2008).
Utopia is defined as liberal actions in an ideal society. Rather I found that this is not the case always. This is because liberality doesn’t necessarily have to result to good. The ending part of the horror movie brings out an idea of utopia. The reason for saying this is because the main character in the horror play has the choice to do whatever he wishes. The utopia definition process adopted initially meant a total ideal society. Nevertheless this changes slightly because the actions of the character Dr. Jekyll neither seem ideal or acceptable by the people (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, 2009).
An example of a dystopia society derived from a class discussion is that of the traditional family setup. The children’s liberality was largely limited. The opposite would probably be the case in today’s contemporary families. I resorted to say that dystopia has inside it room for adjustment. This is because if one cannot change things then join them. The traditionalists have tried to introduce such practices today to no avail. The challenge comes in because of the diversities people are presented with in life as they grow up. The solution was free choice of a mate instead of marrying a predetermined partner.
