Utopias and Dystopias in Literature

Utopia and dystopia are genres of hypothetical fiction that dive deep into social and political structures. Utopian literature visualizes a perfect society where everything is butterflies and rainbows. Sounds too good to be true? It is. In literature, utopias hardly ever last long but, instead, they turn into complete dystopias. And come on, dystopias are way more entertaining. Dystopian societies are at a dysfunctional state where there is great suffering or injustice. Dystopias are claimed to be the opposite of utopias, but Literature has shown us how much they can be similar. Literature has helped shape fantasy and the real world by using utopias and dystopias. Although utopian societies are “perfect,” utopian and dystopian societies have many differences, but they seem to all end up in the same poor conditions.

“The English writer Sir Thomas More coined the term utopia, a Greek word meaning ‘no place,’ in Utopia, a short book he wrote in 1516. More’s utopia was an island nation in the newly discovered West Indies. People in his imaginary society enjoyed much better living conditions than those on Europe at that time”. Thomas More made a huge impact with his book, Utopia. The book largely influenced Europe. It was a work of satire, and indirectly criticized Europe’s political corruption and religious hypocrisy. A statement made in More’s Utopia states, “Now in a court composed of people who envy everyone else and admire only themselves, if a man should suggest something the other courtiers would think their reputation for wisdom was endangered unless they could find fault with his proposal”. This quote is saying that in a Utopian society pride is a big issue. Ultimately, a utopian society is supposed to be “perfect.” There are different types of Utopian societies including: ecological utopias, economic utopias, political utopias, religious utopias, and science/technology utopian societies.

In an ecological utopian society, there is an organic way of life in harmony and with nature. Economic utopian societies include equal distribution of goods and wealth. Citizens enjoy their work which is for the common good, leaving them ample time for the cultivation of arts and science. In political utopian societies, there is world peace, global oneness, in other words, a world without war. Religious utopian societies embody peace, harmony, understanding, and enlightenment. Science/Technology utopias are usually set in the future where there is an absence of death and suffering; there are extreme changes in human nature and the human condition. Literature has provided us with many novels, poems, books, plays, etc. that show how impossible it is to maintain the perfect environment. The real world alone has shown how unrealistic it is to even think there could be a society that was perfect.

The utopian society idea is indeed great, but it ultimately ends up having flaws just as a dystopian society would. From a philosophical or political viewpoint, utopias just do not work. Everyone has their own version of perfect, so trying to meet everyone’s standards of perfect is simply impossible. Another quote from Thomas More’s, Utopia, states, “We made no inquiries, however, about monsters, which are the routine of traveler's tales. Scyllas, ravenous Celaenos, man-eating Lastrygonians and that sort of monstrosity you can hardly avoid, but to find governments wisely established and sensibly ruled is not so easy”. More is unfolding a pretty desolate political landscape here. In this case finding a well-governed country was more exciting than a rare monster. These very factors show how utopian societies show dystopian qualities.

Dystopian literature is a genre of fictional writing used to explore social and political structures in a defective world. Dystopian societies have been defined as, “A futuristic, imagined universe in which oppressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through corporate, bureaucratic, technological, moral, or totalitarian control. Dystopias, through an exaggerated worst-case scenario, make a criticism about a current trend, societal norm, or political system”. Dystopian societies in literature have had horrible government systems. Citizens are usually in a dehumanized state. In dystopian societies, propaganda is used to control citizens and information, independence, and freedom is usually restricted.

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Dystopian associations have such unusual structures. The purpose of dystopian societies is to be as unstructured as possible. “A dystopian society is structured around a social rating system that judges its citizenry based on daily behavior, leading to abuse and marginalization”. Utopian structures differ from dystopian because their governments are supposed to ensure safety and general warfare for everyone. Suzanne Collins introduced the start of her troligy, The Hunger Games, in 2008. The Hunger Games is a dystopian series about an individual trying to overcome the power of her society’s tyrannical government. This novel showed a great example of how dystopian societies are depicted in literature.

A quote from the novel says, “All I can think is how unjust the whole thing is, the Hunger Games. Why am I hopping around like some trained dog trying to please people I hate? The longer the interview goes on, the more my fury seems to rise to the surface, until I'm literally spitting out answers at him”. This statement was said by a character in the novel named Katniss. While saying that quote, Katniss had to hide the fact that she knew their government was unjust and terrible. This novel gave so many incites on how bad a dystopian society could get. Dystopian societies are very divided. The people in the communities are divided with a class system.

Veronica Roth is an American novelist and short story writer, known for her debut New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy, consisting of Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant; and Four: A Divergent Collection. Divergent is a dystopian novel about a young lady named Tris Prior who lives in a futuristic world in which society is divided into five factions. As each person enters adulthood, he or she must choose a faction and commit to it for life. Tris chooses Dauntless -- those who pursue bravery above all else. However, her initiation leads to the discovery that she is a Divergent and will never be able to fit into just one faction. Warned that she must conceal her status, Tris uncovers a looming war which threatens everyone she loves. This novel showed how dystopian societies use a class system to divide their people. The novel states, “This is where the factionless live. Because they failed to complete initiation into whatever faction they chose, they live in poverty, doing the work no one else wants to do. They are janitors and construction workers and garbage collectors; they make fabric and operate trains and drive buses. In return for their work they get food and clothing, but, as my mother says, not enough of either” (Roth). This quote gives a better look into the lives of people in dystopian societies that are separated by classes.

“It is this tension between utopian hopes that global capitalism gives rise to, and the dystopian reality to which it often leads, that this article considers ‘corporate social responsibility”. Utopian societies are somewhat like dystopian societies. They usually start off the way they are planned, but a perfect society to some may not be perfect to all. The people that create the utopias make it in their vision of perfection. The problem is everyone’s perfect is not the same. There will never be a society that fits all.

Authors have had a hard time at creating utopias in literature. There are some clothes that say, “one size fits all,” but, that is not true. People do not come in one size, the clothes will either be too small or too big. That is how utopias are, the society that is perfect to you may not be perfect to someone else.