LITR 4632: Literature of the Future

Student Future-Visions Presentation 2007

Thursday, 21 June: Future-vision presenter: Emily Sevier

Emily Sevier

Mad Max

Terry Hayes and George Miller

Objective-2 Visions of the Future

To identify, describe, and criticize typical visions or scenarios of the future (seen from 2007).

b.     low tech; actual reality—rough, messy, hot, real, hungry for power.

c.       utopia / dystopia / ecotopia—perfectly planned worlds / dysfunctional world / + ecolog

Summary

     In a post-apocalyptic world, Max is an ex-cop whose wife and child were murdered by a motorcycle gang, He now wanders the barren wastelands of the Australian outback. Cold, callous and self centered, he is only concerned with finding gasoline; the world’s very scarce and most precious commodity.  When Max discovers that a group of people are defending a fuel-depot encampment, he rescues one of their men (from the notorious Dog’s of War and their master, Lord Humungus) only to trade him back for oil.  In the end Max is persuaded to help these “gasoline defenders” drive their fuel past Lord Humungus to a safer place, but only because he has nothing else to live for.

            Years later Max stumbles across Barter Town; a “civilization” of people who are ruled by Aunty and Master Blaster.  The town is electrically powered by fecal matter from pigs.  The laws of Barter Town are simple.  Whenever there is an argument, fight or disagreement about anything, the feuding parties are forced to battle to the death in Thunderdome; “Two men enter, one man leaves.” When Aunty propositions Max with fuel to “get rid” of her partner he starts a fight and challenges him to Thunderdome. 

Questions

1. With the war that we have waged in the Middle East and the gas shortages that we are experiencing, do you think that a society that thrives and fights only for oil is in our near future?
    
2. In the scenes that were shown, Max is a scavenger who is only concerned with his own well being, leaving other to fend for themselves and even die. We have seen some other examples of this in “Parable of the Sower.”  What is it about desperation that turns us against one another and takes all sanctity from human life?  Is it basic survival instincs (survival of the fittest)? If so, does that make us all debase, immoral savages when our backs are pushed against the wall?  And would you personally sacrifice innocent human life for your own survival?
    
3. If, in the future no government exists, do you think that Barter Town’s justice system would work?  Do you think that there are benefits to stopping the violence and fighting as soon as it begins or do you think that the future should continue to try to establish some sort of due process, like we have today?