Ruthi Engelke McDonald

Utopian Literature and Social Change

Many individuals believe that a Utopia must be perfect, but this is itself a flawed statement, as perfection is unattainable. The logic that follows implies that Utopias are then impossible. Human beings are far from perfect, and since they make up all of any human society, our interactions and connections are imperfect. We make lots of mistakes. A “utopia” is simply either “no place” or “good place,” there is nothing in the definition that indicates that it must be perfect. The harmony of a utopian story makes it less effective as entertainment than one including dystopian elements. Plots require conflict to give the reader some action in the story. The namesake of this genre by Sir Thomas More is a testimony to this difficulty in the utopian narrative. Utopia reads more like a tract than what we would describe as a novel, but then it was written by a legal man and professional bureaucrat.

            The examples of utopian literature that we read in the first part of the semester all had a focused agenda, a reason for writing the text other than storytelling. More zeroed in on government with his examination of how the island of Utopia runs its organization, satirically mocking English policy. Herland focused on the role of gender in a utopian society, while Ecotopia was concerned with the impact on the environment. These two selections were very focused on different aspects of ideals in the overarching theme of their depiction of a utopia. Charlotte Perkins Gilman promoted a feministic view of society, while Earnest Callenbach echoed the environmentally aware movement in the 1970’s. Anthem depicts a breaking from a socialistic dystopia formed after a millennial event and promotes her philosophy of objectivism. On the other hand, Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake has no obvious message beyond “things could get worse.” It doesn’t only depict a dystopia or utopia; it includes aspects of both. This class has made me realize how many stories have at least some aspect of utopian/dystopian literature, even if the scale is sometimes diminished.

A utopian vision gives individuals a goal to strive for while the dystopia can be offered as a cautionary tale or a warning of imminent problems. People react better to fear and are wary about hope, more likely to say that the Utopian picture cannot happen while recognizing that something is more likely to go wrong than right –Murphy ’s Law. In Herland the men believe that they will find disagreement among the women, but they were disappointingly wrong. Gilman was more intent on highlighting how women might do things better in contrast to a patriarchal society than on having an entertaining story. It was very interesting to me, but most readers would get bogged down in the descriptions or feel bombarded by the message. The men themselves bring the only drama and tension to the story. Ecotopia was fun to read as a bit of nostalgia, but it too would be a stretch for someone looking for more of a story. The problem then with utopian novels is that the tendency to lean more toward proving a point or putting forward a compelling argument pushes away the conflict that makes a good story.

Dystopias are rich in conflict. Oryx and Crake works as a novel because it doesn’t try to hit the reader over the head with a prearranged outcome. Margaret Atwood produces a compelling read, because she is more concerned with telling a story than promoting an agenda. There is social commentary in the novel, but the reader is merely presented with options and not instructed on the best outcome.

Studying utopias has given me a greater appreciation for how a novel can achieve both a compelling story and contain relevant issues for discussion. It was also great fun to look at all the historical attempts to attain a utopian life. It seems to me that we are all just trying to find that perfect life, that place where there is balance in all things. Unfortunately, the best way to start over is to wipe everything that exists out with a millennial event. It seems a high price to pay, but maybe it is the only way.