Dystopia
Utopia:
A place, state,
or condition
that is ideally
perfect in
respect of
politics, laws,
customs, and
conditions.
Dystopia:
A futuristic,
imagined universe
in which oppressive
societal control and
the illusion of a
perfect society are
maintained through
corporate,
bureaucratic,
technological,
moral, or
totalitarian control.
Dystopia:
Author’s Purpose:
Dystopias, through
an exaggerated
worst-case
scenario, make a
criticism about a
current trend,
societal norm, or
political system.
"Many societies in fiction are depicted as utopias when in
fact they are dystopias; like angels and demons, the two
are sides of the same coin. This seemingly paradoxical
situation can arise because, in a dystopia, the society
often gives up A in exchange for B, but the benefit of B
blinds the society to the loss of A; it is often not until
many years later that the loss of A is truly felt, and the
citizens come to realize that the world they once thought
acceptable (or even ideal) is not the world they thought it
was. That’s part of what is so compelling—and insidious—
about dystopian fiction: the idea that you could be living
in a dystopia and not even know it."
John Joseph Adams
Characteristics of a Dystopian Society
1. Propaganda is used to control the citizens
of society.
2. Information, independent
thought, and freedom are
restricted.
Characteristics of a Dystopian Society
3. A figurehead or concept is
worshipped by the citizens of the
society.
4. Citizens are perceived to be
under constant surveillance.
Characteristics of a Dystopian Society
5. Citizens have a fear of the outside world.
6. Citizens live in a dehumanized state.
Characteristics of a Dystopian Society
7. The natural world is
banished and distrusted.
8. Citizens conform to
uniform expectations.
Individuality and
dissent are bad.
Characteristics of a Dystopian Society
9. The society is an
illusion of a perfect
utopian world.
Types of Dystopian Controls
Most dystopian works present a world
in which oppressive societal control and
the illusion of a perfect society are
maintained through one or more of the
following types of controls:
1. Corporate control: One
or more large corporations
control society through
products, advertising, and/or
the media. Examples include
Minority Report and Running
Man.
2. Bureaucratic control:
Society is controlled by a
mindless bureaucracy
through a tangle of red
tape, relentless regulations,
and incompetent
government officials.
Examples in film include
Brazil, Starship Troopers, and
V for Vendetta.
3. Technological
control: Society is
controlled by
technology—through
computers, robots,
and/or scientific means.
Examples include The
Matrix, The Terminator,
and I, Robot.
4. Philosophical/religious
control: Society is
controlled by philosophical
or religious ideology often
enforced through a
dictatorship or theocratic
government. Hunger Games,
Children of Men, and Priest.
Ray Bradbury: 1920-2012
Fahrenheit 451
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1953)
• The story takes place in the twenty-first century,
in an America where books are banned.
• Society feels that “opinion” books contain
conflicting theories, which are disruptive to
society.
• The penalty for owning one of these books is
having one's house and books burnt by
"firemen."
• 451° F is stated as “the temperature at which
book paper catches fire and burns…”
“You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just
get people to stop reading them.”
Ray Bradbury
Relation to the Real World
“I don't try to describe the
future. I try to prevent it.”
Ray Bradbury
In the novel, Bradbury combined several issues of his
contemporary society:
• The burnings of books in Nazi Germany.
• Stalin's suppression of authors and books in the Soviet Union.
• The explosion of a nuclear weapon.
Relation to the Real World
The author also addresses the
concern that the presence of
fast cars, loud music, and
advertisements creates a
lifestyle with too much
stimulation where no one has
the time to concentrate.
He also addresses concerns
about censorship at the
expense of personal expression.
The Dystopian Protagonist
• he/she often feels trapped and is struggling to
escape.
• he/she questions the existing social and
political systems.
• he/she believes or feels that something is
terribly wrong with the society in which he or
she lives.
Effect …the protagonist helps the audience
recognize the negative aspects of the dystopian
world through his or her perspective/experiences.
“There are worse crimes
than burning books. One
of them is not reading
them.”
Ray Bradbury
Other Dystopian Novels:
Animal Farm
Lord of the
Flies
1984
We
Handmaid’s
Tale
Brave New
World