Daniel B. Stuart

A Case for Utopia 

          Inspirational author Beverly Lewis is the prolific author of several multi-volume series of novels centered around the Amish community. Story archetypes for her books almost always involve a young teenage girl taking her sabbatical years to reevaluate if she will continue with the Amish community or separate from the society. After some serial conflicts in the outside world, the girl almost always decides to remain with the flock, so to speak (Senseri). It's an odd concept in today's world. Even in the highly conservative, spiritual world of integrated Christian communities, the idea of living the lifestyle of a nineteenth-century milkmaid seems foreign to most. And yet the stories represent a utopia in a roundabout way, a civilization which has not only survived but flourished. And yet, in the educational establishment, most literature within the genre is concentrated in the dystopian medium. Secondary and higher education exists for the purpose of furthering the knowledge and skill base of the population but it also serves another purpose—to help individuals think for themselves. Dystopian literature is taught in schools for much the same reason that Greek tragic drama and classical fiction are taught. In a sense these texts offer students a survey of the world around them, of the potential fallacies of society, of the pitfalls of civilization and the problematic conditions inherent in man and nature. Utopian literature should be taught for the same purpose.

          Much of the logic and reasoning for incorporating dystopian literature into the curriculum relies on the fact that students will be easily engaged. Dystopian novels such as Lord of the Flies, Anthem, Hunger Games and Handmaid's Tale exhibit characters and circumstances in which conflict is readily available. There is always a regime or establishment wielding too much power, the societal structure is too exploitive and corrupt, common man is seen as futilely condemned to the service of the state, etc. It is therefore inevitable that readers will identify with the rebel party, the oppressed individual or group who rise up against the adversary for libertarian purposes. Often these situations involve an abundance of action or suspense which in turn sustains the attention of the reader. The problem, as educators see it, is that utopian literature such as Looking Backward or Ecotopia might fail to bring such drama to the reader. Additionally, what is the purpose of instructing students on hopeless, impractical ideological cases when such scenarios are implausible at best? Of course, much of these arguments are already negated by the inevitable fact of intentional communities and utopian societies which have in the past, are currently and will continue to operate.

          Further reasons dystopian literature predominates curriculums have to do with the dangers of conformity. Texts like Lord of the Flies, The Wave by Todd Strasser and Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" offer readers a glimpse into the programming of individuals and the risk of compulsory obligations. The end result of all of these books is disaster in some way or sort. Yet the texts clearly exist to encourage readers to not give in to peer pressure. Being secure in one's identity is an attractive enough prospect for most, but absolute ostracism presents a problem. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier relates the story of a young freshman student at a private, all-boys high school. It's the tradition for upperclassmen at the school to have the freshman students sell their candy door-to-door as a brief reminder of the institutional hierarchy. Of course our protagonist is the conscientious objector, a position he maintains all the way through violent personal attacks and numerous instances of harassment (Cormier). The novel is not unlike the aforementioned texts and yet all of these works are hardly speculative fiction. They exist in a conventional reality; stories like this can happen and do. Jackson's 'Lottery' was actually influenced by by Nazi propaganda and the Einsatzgruppen of the concentration camps in WWII, a symptom in itself which presents a fascinating dilemma as it still haunts so much of history and our present (Wilson, 87). There are, inevitably, far more cases of peaceable, integrated communities that operate under different circumstances and are far less prone to mob mentality.

          It may be the case that the word utopia itself is something of a distancing stigma. Does a community have to be precisely regimented and work in perfect cohesion without any problems in order to be successful, even to the point of reaching an ideal? Probably not. In many ways, the concept of a utopia is a more practically used idea than dystopia merely because so much of our society is based on obtaining the best possible living standards. From fields as varied as aesthetics and architecture to more objectively restrained disciplines as civil engineering and demographics, utopia is not an infrequent term. The interrelatedness of such aspects of our culture cannot fail to be evident to the lay observer who lives in a modern society. Homes, subdivisions, neighborhoods and towns are created for the purpose of intentionally accommodating the needs of community divided into family units. Utopian literature and to a greater degree, popular entertainment, caters to such trends. If dystopian literature points out the flaws in society, utopian literature should at least be able to engage readers in the issues which confront them on a daily basis and perhaps even reinforce the values which are already in places.

          Utopian books such as Ecotopia, Looking Backward, or Oryx and Crake could also serve another purpose—to introduce students to other disciplines. Ecotopia could enter the curriculum alongside environmental fiction authors Barbara Kingsolver and T.C. Boyle. So much of our everyday lives are becoming consumed with technology and medical ethics as Oryx and Crake demonstrates. Books like these could introduced not just the ideas of noncomformity, individuality, equality and personal responsibility but of the interrelatedness of man and nature, of man and science. As mentioned, our society is closely tied to aspirations towards utopian ideals and a more perfected vision of life. So also does our ever-changing civilization integrate aspects of the natural world and scientific innovation. In this way, utopia may be seen as a more viable concept than dystopia which is more closely linked to destabilization and anarchy.

          So many dystopian novels and works of fiction begin in the midst of unhappiness. A dysfunctional society is now the outcome of a failed state, a millenial event, environmental crisis or oppressive regime. This is not the case however in real life; at least not all the time. There are still places in the world where people live without currency, live communally, work together and do not rely on government assistance to support their needs. On a socio-political level, utopian literary studies which concentrate on utopian ideas rather than dystopian subject matter would likewise spur the debate on conservative and liberal values. Students would be afforded the opportunity of critiquing the vision of a working society rather than only surmising on what went wrong with the dystopian one.

          Admittedly, dystopian novels can be more fun to read, partly owing to the fact that one's imagination can be exercised in a livelier way and escalating conflict and action are the inevitable norm. Utopian literature is not so homogenized as to prevent it from proliferating throughout the curriculum, both as a literary topic and aspect of interdisciplinary studies. To study utopias is to study humanity. For, after all, what is civilization but an extension of man. To experience one man's vision for the perfect society is to collectively observe the past and present, to incorporate aspects of psychology, politics, sociology, geography and architecture among others. To learn of fictional societies is one thing, but to observe and discover actual existing societies like Ecotopia (the real one) and Twin Oaks, or to read about past experimental communities of the Puritans, Quakers and Tolstoyans is to engage in a phenomenon particular to our world and to us as individuals. To exempt utopian literature as an educational tool while promoting dystopian literature would be to present a one-sided argument for the fate of society. To include it would allow for the dissemination of a greater wealth of knowledge and allow for a better discourse of ideas.

Works Cited

Cormier, Robert. The Chocolate War. New York: Bantam, 1993.

Senseri, Marjorie. "New Waves in Inspirational Fiction" Library Journal. Vol. 4. No. 6. May 2009.

White. Coursesite UHCL

Wilson, Gertrude. "Shirley Jackson." Contemporary Authors. New York: Knopf, 1998.