The dystopian genre aims to challenge the utopian assumption of a rather faultless society with human perfection. It is rare to find hope in this genre, whether it be in regards to hierarchical society, identity—which has been a constant topic or struggle throughout all three works—, or social class systems, elements of dystopian concepts can be seen through Aldous Huxley's Brave New World as well as George Orwell’s 1984 and Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.
The audience simply could not have asked for a better protagonist than Winston Smith. Not only does the reader identify with him, but they also have the privilege of viewing the world through his eyes and his eyes only; they feel what he feels. The depiction of a hierarchical society …show more content…
Unlike the trapped, grave, and monochromatic moods of Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury and Divergent by Veronica Roth, the novel Brave New World takes on a new angle of the dystopian genre with euphoria. Oddly enough, two protagonists are featured in this novel: Bernard Marx and John the Savage. From the beginning, the audience is led to believe that Bernard was going to be the lionheart. Much like the audience, he shares his own antipathies with the new world. Used as a drug by the World State, soma was one of the copious things that disgusted Bernard. Soma in addition to hypnopaedia were not only able to control your action, but also your thoughts. These drugs are emotional painkillers. In chapter three of the novel, the Assistant Predestinator points out that Bernard is looking glum. Henry Foster, the typical, obedient, and rule-following World State male approaches Bernard and claps him on the shoulder stating that, “What [he] need[s] is a gramme of soma,” that contains “all the advantages of Christianity and alcohol; none of their defects,” to which Bernard respectfully declines and continues to fend off the proffered tube of tablets (37). It is not until later in chapter six that Bernard’s reasoning for …show more content…
His ignorance towards women or more specifically, women like Lenina, lead the audience back to that topic of the trapped, grave, and monochromatic moods found throughout the dystopian genre. The Handmaid’s Tale serves as an amplified version of the manner in which females are treated in dystopian literature.
Serving as a classic protagonist in Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, the narrator makes it almost impossible for the audience to side with anyone but the handmaid narrating this tale. In the same instance, it is also difficult for the audience to relate with her. The reader does not really know much about her except for that peculiar facts that, “[her] name is not Offred, [she] [has] another name, which nobody uses now because it's forbidden” and “[having] viable ovaries” (95, 168). It seems ludicrous to know of someone’s personal bodily functions, yet not know of their name. While some facts about her continue to remain a mystery, she does reveal three minor details regarding her appearance to the audience: her hair color, age, and height. Though she "ha[s] trouble remembering what [she] used to look like," as she is now unable to look into mirrors, the Handmaid describes herself as a, “thirty-three years old [with] brown hair [standing] [at] five seven without shoes,” (168). Just as the audience cannot see her, she cannot see herself. Now, the readers are
The audience simply could not have asked for a better protagonist than Winston Smith. Not only does the reader identify with him, but they also have the privilege of viewing the world through his eyes and his eyes only; they feel what he feels. The depiction of a hierarchical society …show more content…
Unlike the trapped, grave, and monochromatic moods of Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury and Divergent by Veronica Roth, the novel Brave New World takes on a new angle of the dystopian genre with euphoria. Oddly enough, two protagonists are featured in this novel: Bernard Marx and John the Savage. From the beginning, the audience is led to believe that Bernard was going to be the lionheart. Much like the audience, he shares his own antipathies with the new world. Used as a drug by the World State, soma was one of the copious things that disgusted Bernard. Soma in addition to hypnopaedia were not only able to control your action, but also your thoughts. These drugs are emotional painkillers. In chapter three of the novel, the Assistant Predestinator points out that Bernard is looking glum. Henry Foster, the typical, obedient, and rule-following World State male approaches Bernard and claps him on the shoulder stating that, “What [he] need[s] is a gramme of soma,” that contains “all the advantages of Christianity and alcohol; none of their defects,” to which Bernard respectfully declines and continues to fend off the proffered tube of tablets (37). It is not until later in chapter six that Bernard’s reasoning for …show more content…
His ignorance towards women or more specifically, women like Lenina, lead the audience back to that topic of the trapped, grave, and monochromatic moods found throughout the dystopian genre. The Handmaid’s Tale serves as an amplified version of the manner in which females are treated in dystopian literature.
Serving as a classic protagonist in Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, the narrator makes it almost impossible for the audience to side with anyone but the handmaid narrating this tale. In the same instance, it is also difficult for the audience to relate with her. The reader does not really know much about her except for that peculiar facts that, “[her] name is not Offred, [she] [has] another name, which nobody uses now because it's forbidden” and “[having] viable ovaries” (95, 168). It seems ludicrous to know of someone’s personal bodily functions, yet not know of their name. While some facts about her continue to remain a mystery, she does reveal three minor details regarding her appearance to the audience: her hair color, age, and height. Though she "ha[s] trouble remembering what [she] used to look like," as she is now unable to look into mirrors, the Handmaid describes herself as a, “thirty-three years old [with] brown hair [standing] [at] five seven without shoes,” (168). Just as the audience cannot see her, she cannot see herself. Now, the readers are