Individuality In Dystopian Films

Interest in dystopian fiction has surged in recent years because of the popularity and astonishing success of dystopian movies such as The Hunger Games (2012), The Divergent (2014) and The Maze Runner (2014). All three movies focus on the struggle of a community which is forced to conform because of a powerful governing system. Individuality as such does not exist due to the restrictions imposed on society. Readers and spectators alike are intrigued by tales of oppressive societies which deal with the impact of an absolute power on individual freedom. In the recent dystopian movies and novels, the opposition to the regime starts a revolution and eventually achieves change by discrediting and destroying the oppressive institutions and the governing …show more content…
The word dystopia stands in contrast to utopia, which is thought to derive from the Greek ‘ou-topos’ meaning ‘no-place’ or ‘eu-topos’ meaning ‘good-place’. As such, the prefix ‘dys-’ turns dystopia into ‘bad place’. The object of the intense criticism of the dystopia as a literary genre is the socio-political realm of each writer’s contemporary world (Baccolini&Moylan 2003; Kumar 1987). This dissertation will consider the use of cognitive estrangement as a device to distance the readers from the narrative and consequently, as Darko Suvin argued, allow them to recognize the similarities to the real world. Thus, reflection will ensue and ideally, a demand for social change. The common thread throughout all dystopias is the suppression of individuality. In this dissertation, individuality is considered the only solution to overcome the oppression of the governing system. An individual’s uniqueness, independence and autonomy to think and act lead to a re-thinking of the norms and values that function as basis for that specific society (West&Chen 2007; Marcuse 1969; Simmel 1971). It is this individual’s willingness to confront and overcome stagnation which give the audience hope. Conformity will in this dissertation be considered as the fundamental principle of any functioning society as depicted in utopias, which quickly turn into dystopias after flaws in this perfect society become apparent. The power of conformity lies in the fact that it leads to social cohesion (Turner&Oakes 1986; Stets&Burke 2000). A socially cohesive collective is based on social desirability which is exacerbated by fear of ostracism. To sum up these technical, sociological terms, conformity leads to uniformity of thoughts and action because individuals fear that if they do not act according to collective social norms