Ever since The Hunger Games was released as a movie, I’ve read a number of blog posts about why dystopian novels are not the blog author’s favorite type of story. But I am, quite frankly, fascinated by dystopian novels.
First, there’s that word, dystopian. It rolls off your tongue in a weird, uncomfortable way, doesn’t it? According to dictionary.com, a dystopia is “usually an imaginary place where people lead dehumanized and often fearful lives.” Let’s look at some of the best ones:
In Orwell’s classic, 1984 (yeah, he was off in his timing!) the world is one in which books are banned – not just censored, but banned, forbidden, so there are small groups of rebels and outliers who spend their days memorizing books.
Blade Runner, probably one of Philip K. Dick’s best novels, became a movie of the same name in 1982 and was one of the first movies in which Harrison Ford played the protagonist. It depicts Los Angeles in 2019 (that’s six years from now!) in a world where corporations are king.
A Wikipedia summary: The film depicts a dystopian Los Angeles in November 2019 in which genetically engineered organic robots called replicants —visually indistinguishable from adult humans—are manufactured by the powerful Tyrell Corporation as well as by other “mega–manufacturers” around the world. Their use on Earth is banned and replicants are exclusively used for dangerous, menial or leisure work on off-world colonies. Replicants who defy the ban and return to Earth are hunted down and “retired” by police special operatives known as “Blade Runners”. The plot focuses on a brutal and cunning group of recently escaped replicants hiding in Los Angeles and the burnt-out expert Blade Runner, Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), who reluctantly agrees to take on one more assignment to hunt them down.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I read this book in two sittings. McCarthy is a powerful writer and I was blown away by this book. It‘s a strange, post- apocalyptic story about a father and son – who are never named, they are simply man and boy – as they travel through a ruined landscape in search of…well, hope. We have a heartbreaking sense of their relationship, of how the father will do anything to protect his young son. McCarthy won the Putlizer prize for this novel and it went on to become a movie with Viggo Martenson. The movie wasn’t nearly as moving as the book. I should add that Rob found this book so depressing he couldn’t finish it.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and yes, it also became a movie. It’s the first in a trilogy about a world that has suffered some terrible calamity and in its wake, North America has been divided into 12 districts ruled by an oppressive government. The Hunger Games are an annual event in which one boy and one girl ages 12–18 from each of the twelve districts are selected by lottery to compete in a televised battle to the death. In other words, kids killing kids.
What I found most interesting about the trilogy and the subsequent movies is that this trilogy is for young adults because the protagonist is a 16-year-old girl. That means it’s okay to show kids killing kids, but these same kids can’t swear or have sex. Really? Kids killing other kids is okay, but kids having sex or saying shit is not?
There are many other dystopian novels – Stephen King’s Running Man, Philip K Dicks’s Minority Report, and Scott Westerfield’s series that begins with The Uglies. A good number of them are young adult books, but for the moment let’s focus on these.
1984 made us aware of literary censorship and probably helped to spawn many of today’s anti-censorship organizations. When a book is censored, attention is brought to who and why. The American Library Association publishes annual lists of censored books and all the relevant details.
Blade Runner may actually be happening now, with the recent whistleblower revelations by 29-year old high school dropout Edward Snowden. This young man worked for the NSA through an outsourced company and you can read all about him here. Is he a version of the Ford character in Blade Runner ? Is he a hero or a traitor?
The Road is a literary journey through a world where anarchy rules, nearly everyone is dead, and the survivors are desperate. The emotional relationships between father and son is what makes the story work.
In all dystopian novels, we are presented with a horrifying what if, a probable path, and are invited to live it. As we read, as we watch, we are confronted with the very thing we do NOT want. We are presented with shocking contrasts. I think dystopian novels reveal the probable futures that are available to us as a species, and help us to collectively strive for something better, more positive, more humane.
These novels and movies impact us at a collective level, and often force us, individually and collectively, to evolve as human beings. They teach us things about who we are and hope to become.
I guess they could be considered as ‘wake up’ calls and what could happen if we don’t change our ways and importantly our thinking.
I may be one of those bloggers you mention who prefer to avoid dystopian stories; although, I’m with you on the word itself, it has an appealing ring. I also really liked the Hunger Games, except for the ending. My main objection comes from my work with shamanic dream wisdom that teaches “the world is as you dream it.” John Perkins’ book of that title explains how in this moment of time, shamans from many cultures around the world are united in the belief that we must dream the future we want to see happen. In this context, dream is visioning, just as an author visions her story, we vision the future we believe will come to pass. Unfortunately, starting with the ubiquitous religious fiction we’ve all been “brainwashed” into accepting, that the end of the world in apocalyptic mayhem is inevitable, most people hold little hope for a future that is better than the past or present. Of course, books like Orwell’s are undeniably powerful and probably helped put us all on alert for government over-reaching; the NSA debacle we’re now debating brings Big Brother looming mind for me. (I read that Orwell’s title, 1984, originated from a dream he had in 1948, so he flipped the numbers to project a future time that seemed to him, dying of TB at the time, pretty far away. I haven’t been able to find the original source or verify this, yet.) Still, his main character, interestingly enough, finds solace from the pervasive invasion of his privacy in his dreams – until they destroy his ability to even do that. So, you really got me thinking about this again and the book that comes to mind as a dystopian remedy is Starhawk’s “The Fifth Sacred Thing.” It’s set in a future time of social disintegration and totalitarian control, but it offers the hope that a hold-out community of eco-warriors in San Francisco who struggle to protect the four sacred things, earth air, fire and water, and to turn the tide with non-violence using the fifth sacred thing, the magic of spirit, can actually prevail. As I hadn’t read it in a while, I looked it up and found, lo and behold, that Starhawk is trying to turn it into a movie. I found this on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fifthsacredthing/the-fifth-sacred-thing. Now I’m psyched to find out more. I wouldn’t say her book, though well written, has the literary genius of those you mention, but it has the vision for change I think we really need. I don’t think fear of what we don’t want is as powerful a motivator as passion for what we do want. In order to dream our way into a future we truly want for ourselves, our children and their children, we need to envision it in detail and step by step, get ourselves there. Every time I visit you here, I come away with something important to ponder; thank you.
I heard about the kickstarter project for starhawk’s novel. I think it’s great! I agree that her book has the vision for change that we need. Thanks for commenting, Adelita! Good stuff here.
I couldn’t agree more about our thoughts at this time. We must be focusing on how we want our world to be and not what it is. We are living in desperate times and the people that know how thoughts and energy come together must work to create a better world – because we are up against some very powerful people who understand how it works. If they can keep mankind fearful, angry, and hopeless – then the world will be just that – and they control everything.
Nicely stated, nancy.
There’s a line in Fahrenheit 451 where one of the old men who understands the value of books says that he saw what was happening, sensed the trend of things, and did nothing to stop it. Instead, he cowered.
the first several sentences of adelita’s comment say it so well, in terms of my own perspective that i simply ditto her remarks – and, as she said, also, one is always left with much food for fodder upon being here in your synchrosecrets world –
Thanks, gypsy!
It’s the dehumanized and fearful lives aspect of dystopian novels that makes them hard for me to read, (or watch) and I’m with Rob on the “too depressing” aspects. As a child, a dystopian future was what I was told to expect.
I’m all about empowering ourselves and living in joy. While I agree that dystopian stories do represent what we don’t want for our future, to me they are metaphors for what is present. I personally can’t watch Schindler’s List or read The Diary of Anne Frank either. All of these stories are powerful and do bring the brutality of victims into the light and expose the inhumanity still very much present on our planet.
That’s why they seem a bit too close-for-comfort to those of us who prefer to trip around the lighter side of fun and frivolity.
I can’t read books about the holocaust. I suspect it’s because it has happened and, therefore, I’m powerless to do anything about it. With dystopian novels, with those dark alternative paths, you can work within yourself to create something better.
Yep, the Holocaust, tough times in my family history. Plus, the polio epidemic, part of our daily duties. My dad and uncles were players in Pearl Harbor and 9/11/01 was up-close-and-personal for me and my girls.
Dystopian fiction will never be my choice to read though it was good to read The Hunger Games because I could relate to every thought Katniss had, and I still do the same Identity Ritual. Now it’s different because the list of who I am has what I’ve accomplished instead of what I’ve endured.
Great insight, terri!
There is also the stuff by Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Craik, The Handmaid’s Tale, etc. that show another possible pathway we humans could take. I love dystopian novels, too, not only because I like the way the word rolls off the tongue, too. 🙂
I think the handmaid’s tale remains one of my all time favorites!
I am with you both on this one.
Hey melissa!
Trish,
The road is a difficult book. I enjoyed it but boy you have to be in a good place to read it. North Korea but all looks and means would be dystopian.
Be well
Laurence
Yeah, u sure do, Laurence!
Trish,
For some reason the Powell and Pressberger film: A Canterbury Tale, came to my mind to counter the dystopian vibe of this post. One of a more gentle film from them . 1942 i believe. I have it some where. BTW: Scorsese is the one who revitalized these master film makers. Watch all of their output. Maybe even watch Capra’s Lost Horizon.
Be well
Luaurence
Good idea. I always liked lost horizon!