LITR 4632 Literature of the Future

Sample Student final exams 2009

Christi Wood

7 July 2009

The Road to Survival Should Not Be Walked Alone

As we read through our futuristic novels, there seems to be a central theme of camaraderie and working together. Not every character gets along with the other on a friendly basis, but everyone seems to want to work together for the greater good or to protect others. The majority of our texts are about difficult times, and these texts give the readers examples of how people in hard times can come together and figure out ways to either make the best of the situation or solve the problem that has arisen.

“Drapes and Folds,” by Audrey Ferber, struck me as a dystopian world with people that, even though in distress, were still trying to help and protect each other. Diana was desperately trying to get Gran to give up her cloth to prevent Gran from being condemned. Even though Diana’s mind had been swept, she still felt it her duty to protect her friend from the harsh punishment she would receive if the cloth was not turned over. These women had a bond, and when technology tried to wipe it out the women prevailed with their love for each other. Even Xera, who was programmed to never love or have feelings, helped her Gran to keep the one piece of fabric that was most important to her. This story proves that government efforts to try to control the people with high tech machines, and make them into a utopian society without their own free will, does not take away their right to care for others.

Compassion and aide to a stranger was demonstrated in “Speech Sounds” when Obsidian rescued Rye during the bus incident. Obsidian was a complete stranger who could have turned the other cheek and left her there to be raped and abused by the men, but instead he offered her his help by taking her with him. He promised her a happy life, which in the end took a turn for the worse, but led her to the children that needed her. She had been an outsider who was afraid to let anyone know she could talk, and the children became her way out of the closet. She took them out of the lonely street that would have been their graves and gave them the comfort and security they needed. These children had witnessed the cruel death of their father and mother, and Rye became their savior during the difficult time. Jenna Zucha, in her 2007 essay states, “Rye reestablishes her hopes and dreams for the future rebuilding of a community and society through these children that seem unaffected by the deadly epidemic.” Together she and the children can rebuild a world together and hopefully live against the odds.

“The Poplar Street Study” became a story of survival and adaptation when every freedom and choice that humans have was taken away. There are many instances when people are living side by side in society and do not even know anything about each other. These people were neighbors, but they were not all the best of friends. When the aliens invaded, the families had to work together to live without the outside world. In the end, everyone adapted and learned how to live according to the aliens’ rules. This seemed to be an experiment to see how humans react when they are in a small study group and must learn to work and live together to survive.

Lauren and her group in Parable of the Sower were in the same situation. There were no aliens in their world, but this small group had to learn to trust each other and stick together to survive on the road. This was another example of strangers who had to quickly learn to trust each other in order to survive. There was not time to question or interview the people that asked to be part of Earthseed; Lauren had to choose based on first impressions. In times of tragedy, extreme decisions are made, and this is what Lauren and her people had to face.

These novels give the idea that survival is not something that can be accomplished alone, but needs multiple people doing their part to make it work. When our world faces possible destruction or difficult times, we as humans seem to pull together and become one to fight the enemy. We have seen this many times with war in America. Not everyone supported the war on Iraq, but as Americans we did support our men and women who served, and in our hearts we all fought together as a country.  It is the same concept with our stories. We have seen many people from different time periods with different obstacles to overcome, but there is always a part of each story that has teamwork and group support to get the job done. I believe these stories are written to teach us that even though times can be hard, we must all stick together to survive.

We must remember as we read the texts, that although the people are struggling, they are not fighting alone. There is always someone to help the other up when they fall or to share their food when the other is running low. We need to take the knowledge of love and friendship and bring it into our own lives. Remember that no one should suffer alone and there is always someone that will walk with you down your troubled path. Take the advice of our characters in our novels and walk together as a team on your road to survival.