Visualize a society in which everything is abnormal and extreme in an unpleasant way. A life where technology has taken over the population. A life where everyone is equal and there is no freedom and individuality. Or, maybe a life where the third child is illegal. Dystopias, texts and films, display just how unpleasant life could become because of one problem that the majority of the population creates. One way an author makes a text or film a dystopia, is their use of style. This important factor allows the author to put forward their own opinions about today’s society through their commentary. In Among the Imposters, by Margaret Peterson Haddix, Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, and 2081, by Chandler Tuttle, there is a dystopian society with a main character trying to gain their individuality beck after having it taken away by the government. With the use of style and commentary, these creators have been able to display just how dangerous the future society can become based on the choices made by the general population today. Part 1: The Social Commentary and Style with Fahrenheit 451 In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury covers how technology has overtaken the reading of books and the effect it has on the society today. He includes and enhances the idea that people do not read books. In this novel, it is clear that people do not read because reading books “is against the law” (5). Incorporating the idea that books are illegal shows how quickly books can get erased because of how infrequent they are read in today’s society. Bradbury also enhances this idea by Faber stating things such as, “it’s not the books you need, it’s some of things that once were in the books,” “the same infinite detail and awareness could be projected through the radios and televisions,” and “the magic is only in what the books say” (78-79). These statements display a majority of the population’s thoughts towards books. People don’t feel books are important because information can be found elsewhere, like technology. Technology is also a main focus in this book, showing how powerful it is in today’s society. Bradbury includes many types of technology, one being Seashells. In the story, Montag sees his wife, in bed, “and in her ears the little Seashells, the thimble radios tamped tight” (10). This scenario pictures so many people in today’s society, and that is what he is trying to inform us. Today’s society revolves around technology, to the point where so many people fall asleep attached to it. Paul Brian’s “Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and the Dystopian Tradition” provides comparisons between the novel and today’s society. In this sermon, he compares earphones to the Seashells, saying they are just alike and have the same effect on our lives. Television is another form of technology that is used in today’s society and in the novel. Brian compares the sizes of the televisions. In Fahrenheit 451, the televisions are called “parlor walls” because they cover the whole wall (7). Today, television screens are getting bigger and bigger to the point where they cover half of the wall. They are also on all walls in the novel and in almost all
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The cause of this is overpopulation and a shortage of food. The government is a central part of the novel. It has a huge and negative impact on all third children. The government had such a negative impact on the children that it causes them to have thoughts such as “I’m a third child. Kill me,” because the third children will get executed if caught living (45). Haddix also includes the idea of the loss of identity and individuality. The children literally lose their identity causing Luke, the main character, to be “an imposter” (20). Being an imposter means not being allowed to say their real name, telling anyone that they are a third child, having to speak in code so they’re not caught, and more. The third children “run into hiding” because they cannot be themselves when in public, in which “they can act antisocial” (161). All of these abnormal situations, to today’s society, allow Haddix to display the horrific effect of overpopulation. Something as bizarre as the “Population Law” could take over the world, causing people to fake their
The cause of this is overpopulation and a shortage of food. The government is a central part of the novel. It has a huge and negative impact on all third children. The government had such a negative impact on the children that it causes them to have thoughts such as “I’m a third child. Kill me,” because the third children will get executed if caught living (45). Haddix also includes the idea of the loss of identity and individuality. The children literally lose their identity causing Luke, the main character, to be “an imposter” (20). Being an imposter means not being allowed to say their real name, telling anyone that they are a third child, having to speak in code so they’re not caught, and more. The third children “run into hiding” because they cannot be themselves when in public, in which “they can act antisocial” (161). All of these abnormal situations, to today’s society, allow Haddix to display the horrific effect of overpopulation. Something as bizarre as the “Population Law” could take over the world, causing people to fake their