LITR 5439 Literary &
Historical Utopias
Research Posting 2009
Cana Hauerland
Americans: From Ancient Utopia to Modern Utopia
I was eager to research situations and places in modern America that imaged ideas from the Ancient Utopia by More. The ideas of having perfection and equality always seemed to mirror themselves in the modern American world but not in a clear image. As a modern, average, middle-class American myself, I sought to connect Ancient Utopia from the novel Utopia to today’s America in order to define a utopia for an average, middle-class American. From my research I discovered that average, middle-class Americans have an over-stimulation of choices in their everyday lives which may seem utopian, but this actually results in a less peaceful and unequal environment, resulting in a dystopia. This result leads Americans to search elsewhere for a more distinct, Ancient Utopia without the labor for an escape. The Ancient Utopia that middle-class Americans seek is temporary and labor-free, so Americans have actually converted the Ancient Utopia into a Modern Utopia.
All Americans were once supposed to live in a community like the one in Utopia. After the Great Depression, one of President Franklin Roosevelt’s plans was to develop communities that could withstand additional crises. A woman named Pearl Seligman recalls her planned community: “it was an American dream community. It was going to be Utopia." Some of the traits of Pearl’s community were sticking together, obtaining high organization, meeting frequently to avoid feelings of isolation, and keeping the feeling of extended families. These characteristics compare to the community in Utopia because all the people worked together, lived in huge groups, and had committees to sort out situations. The American community did not withstand all it was created for unlike the community in Utopia. Pearl states, “this didn't turn out to be Utopia -- utopias never do, but this was as close as it gets.” The closeness Pearl is referring to sticking together and being there for one another. Each person in Pearl’s community at one time felt equal to one another as if they were all in the same boat. Now, they don’t appear equal anymore, just close. Most American communities may have closeness, but the freedom for individuals to seek after goals seems to eliminate or lessen this closeness after a while. Each American is concentrating on his or her own life. Americans have the freedom to independently work and this tends to bring their communities further apart because Americans are working to increase their status independently or to only support their immediate families.
Although Americans may not find Pearl’s Utopia in their communities anymore, they have the freedom to relocate to an environment that promotes peace and equality. However, for the average middle-class American, this equal environment can only be short-lived. Eventually, the American must return to their world of working and increasing their status for the greater good of their families, but temporarily, the American has the resources to venture off into a world that knows only peace and equality. An example of this temporary, utopian-like setting would be a nudist colony, where everyone is considered equal. One of the many colonies in America is Bluebonnet Park located in Friendswood, Texas. The colony is “nestled in the rolling hills of North Central Texas, warmed by the hot Texas sun, shaded by ancient native oaks and cooled by gentle breezes. ”Bluebonnet is “a naturist park [and] freed from the cares of the textile world [where] nudes, visitors and members alike, play and relax in the natural setting that Bluebonnet affords.” Although this nudist colony may not be ideal for every American, it exemplifies a utopian-like setting that Americans escape to in order to find the Ancient Utopia that is not in their everyday lives. This setting has equality, peace, and is surrounded by nature. The setting exemplifies what Raphael describes when he arrives to a new area in Utopia: “a new scene opened up, all things grew milder, the air less burning, the soil more verdant, and even the beasts less wild; and at last there [are] nations, towns, and cities, that had not only mutual commerce among themselves, and with their neighbours, but traded both by sea and land, to very remote counties” (More 3). In this utopian setting, Americans can experience the feeling of a unified and equal community, but the goal among people in this temporary setting is to relax and not work.
The surroundings in Utopia are almost surreal to Raphael. Everyone gets along, the weather, nature and animals are friendly, and peacefulness seems to fill the air because of these occurrences that are calming to the soul. Americans enjoy traveling to places that have nice weather to their standards, no worries, and a peace among the people. These qualities cannot be achieved among the everyday lives of America. Excluding the nudity from Bluebonnet Park, the description sounds like the modern American vacation. This utopian vacation compares to Utopia, a perfect place where everyone is at peace. Until Americans can locate a permanent Utopia, we search for a temporary Utopia so that we can escape from our everyday lives that are unlike Ancient Utopia. A place that compares to the American vacation escape is Adamant Suites in Santorini, Greece, which is known as the most photographed place in the world. The web page advertises that Adamant Suites are “close to Heaven.” All you have to do to feel peaceful, according to Adamant Suites, is “lay your head back, relax your body and soul, and leave your senses experience a unique unforgettable feeling.” This peaceful and serene experience in Santorini is a Modern Utopia for Americans. There are many advertisements for utopian settings that Americans can venture to in order to find the perfect peace and equality. This escape features a perfect, peaceful time of relaxation among people who equally want the same thing. As compared to Utopia members, Americans seek perfection in their worlds, but Americans have to exit their everyday lives in order to achieve it, and Utopia members have it every day.
Why can’t the average American have Utopia in their everyday lives? Americans may have too much freedom. “In a free market, it’s much too easy to make choices that endanger our health and wealth [and] we are free to overeat, smoke, drink excessively, ruin our credit, and not save enough for retirement” (Futurist 1). The choices that Americans are given are not options in an Ancient Utopian society. The community members in Utopia do not have the power to take more food than needed from the market square, nor can they drink alcohol or put themselves in debt. A middle-class American’s everyday life consists of having the power to order huge meals, attend happy hour, or max out a credit card. This freedom of the American may seem utopian-like, but it creates a dystopia.
The differences between Ancient Utopia and Modern Utopia hardly make an American seem comparable to the members in Utopia, but the difference explains how the average American has re-defined their definition of Utopia to an escape from a seduction of too many choices that have resulted in a dystopia. Americans are viewed as “too easily seduced by the multitude of choices” (Futurist 1). As a result of these choices, Americans seek escape from having too many choices, thus creating their Utopia away from their everyday lives. In a Modern Utopia Americans still manage to locate peace and equality just as in an Ancient Utopia. The differences between the two Utopias is that Ancient Utopia is permanent and includes all aspects of life while Modern Utopia for the average, middle-class American is temporary and includes only relaxation and peace.
Works Cited
http://www.bluebonnetnudistpark.com/www/frames.htm
Hampson, Rick “Inspired by an economic crisis, N.J. town offers lessons for ...”. Academic Search Complete. USA Today; 03/20/2009. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspxdirect=true&db=a9h&AN=J0E260112485109&site=ehost-live
Shostak, Arthur B. “IMAGINING America in 2033 (Book)”. Academic Search Complete. Futurist; Mar/Apr2009. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=36400467&site=ehost-live>.
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