A dystopia interacts with many other genres through literature such as utopias, post-apocalyptic worlds, and science fiction as a whole. Dystopias usually follow a large catastrophic event such as a natural disaster or war where the rest of civilization must pull together to keep the human race alive. This period of time is known as a post-apocalyptic age (Merriam-Webster 2020). Many times dystopian stories are set years after the apocalyptic event and the governments and societies are already far into rebuilding themselves. When dystopian governments are created, the original intent is to create a utopia, so that people can live without worry. However, many times, the governments have too much control and wind up oppressing the population until there are many issues and challenges that the society must face. A utopia is a society that is the opposite of a dystopia. These lands are places where people live in peace and harmony (Maclaran 2011). Finally, Dystopias can fit within the larger genre and world of Science Fiction, but not all of them do. When the dystopias are saturated with large amounts of technology or technology not known in this world, they become a world that falls into Science Fiction (Luckhurst & Luckhurst 2011).
Visual Representation of Utopia vs Dystopia (Murphy 2015)
An extremely popular dystopian world that is read by many young adults is the Divergent series. There are three books and four movies that portray the books. In this series, a girl named Tris is old enough to take a test that determines where she belongs in the city of her society. She must choose between Dauntless (the brave), Erudite (the smart), Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the kind), and Candor (the honest). Tris' test reveals that she has traits for three factions: Dauntless, Abnegation, and Erudite, but the test is only supposed to reveal one. This makes her a Divergent, which is a combination of more than two factions. Divergents are frowned upon in this city and killed, so Tris must pick one in order to hide this. She ultimately picks Dauntless.
The overall society is a dystopia because of the factions that create tension amongst the people and a feeling of superiority in some factions. Additionally, there is a belief that there is no other life beyond the farmland of the Amity, so the people live in a post-apocalyptic world. Finally, the appearance of their way of life is perfect, but there are many flaws that prevent people from stepping outside of how they are told to be, which creates an underlying oppressive environment. This is the environment and structure that Tris' character fights against.
Divergent is one of many dystopian fictions that are becoming increasingly popular. The main reason for this is through the imagination of the worlds that still reflect the culture of today. In a lot of the stories, there is a main character who does not conform to the ideas and ways of the society they live in. This character, like real people, is multidimensional, unlike those who continue to live in the oppressive societies without asking any questions. This character reinforces the Freedom of Speech right and culture seen in America, so people have a character to relate to. This character is the one that starts taking a stand against what they think is wrong and is normally challenged by those in charge. It is the same for people who participate in protests and marches. There are either groups with opposing opinions or law enforcement trying to keep them from making what they think is wrong heard.
Additionally, when thinking about our world in comparison to the dystopian worlds, the rising popularity is changing and challenging people to look at reality different. There are many places with harsh governments that have all control or even individuals or classes. When these people are solely in charge, there is always someone who is denied a right, freedom, or opportunity, which is exactly what these characters are experiencing. The stories may seem far off or exaggerated, but when made in direct comparison to today's world, the story could eventually become a reality for some people. This possibility emphasizes the warnings embedded in the fictional stories. This Ted Talk by Manaal Saadaat provides more factors that add to the rising popularity of dystopian fictions.
Dystopias are a way for people to escape into different worlds where a hero overcomes the challenges of an oppressive hierarchy. However, there are constant warnings that what seems like impossible circumstances could actually be our future. People who hold too much power are ruling many countries. There is a growing amount of trash and pollution that is ruining ecosystems and the entire environment. Weapons of mass destruction exist that could take out entire populations. The circumstances that set up dystopian stories are not far off from what is happening now. By analyzing these events in comparison to a genre that is thought to be fiction, people can easily see the warning signs that the authors emphasize as not total exaggerations. The lives of Katniss (The Hunger Games), Tris, and many other characters may not be as far off as we believe. Think about it the next time you read one of these novels. Look for the connections to our society today. They are not as hard to find as you would think.
Author's note: If you want to know more about the series that I mentioned, watch the trailers that are linked for the first movies as an introduction!
Work Cited
Dystopia. (2018). In Helicon (Ed.), The Hutchinson unabridged encyclopedia with atlas and weather
guide. Abington, UK: Helicon. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.lynchburg.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/heliconhe/dystopia/0?institutionId=3447.
Luckhurst, R., & LUCKHURST, R. (2011). Science fiction. In M. Ryan (Ed.), The encyclopedia of literary and cultural theory. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.lynchburg.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/wileylitcul/science_fiction/0?institutionId=3447.
Maclaran, P. (2011). Utopia and utopianism. In M. Tadajewski, SAGE key concepts series: key concepts in critical management studies. Sage UK. Credo Reference: http://ezproxy.lynchburg.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/sageukkcmngt/utopia_and_utopianism/0?institutionId=3447.
Merriam-Webster. 2020. Postapocalyptic. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated: https://www.merriam-webster.con/dictionary/postapocalyptic.
Merriam-Webster. 2020. Postapocalyptic. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated: https://www.merriam-webster.con/dictionary/postapocalyptic.
Murphy, Amy. 2015. Utopia vs Dystopia. Blendspace: https://www.tes.com/lessons/IqvoCi7f3FbUWg/21jan2015-utopia-vs-dystopia.
