Where There Is Heroism There Is Hope
Date
2021-03-01
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Southern New Hampshire University
Abstract
Dystopian fiction, in many ways, reflects a broken, modern society that craves individuality, aches for purpose, longs for unity, and yearns for a sign of relief when there seems to be no hope in sight. With an ever changing, all consuming, life sucking, obsession with media today, coupled with the loss of individuality in a world that tries too desperately to sell the idea of uniformity for the common good, dystopian texts present an interesting perspective of the human existence. This paper seeks to add to the ongoing discourse on the human existence within the world of literature, which includes a close examination of several examples of dystopian fiction that demonstrate opposition toward modern reliance on consumer capitalism, criticizes mass manipulation through oppressive media propaganda, and calls for a response to an instinctive obligation for renewal of the human existence. George Orwell’s 1984, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, and Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games reveal an unsettling, yet realistic and unfiltered view of the human existence with a modernistic response that attempts to restore peace and balance to the human experience through the audacious actions of an antihero. Central to this examination are the fears and anxieties exposed in dystopian fiction that ask readers to consider life’s purpose, showing that without the ability to think and act freely, humanity is doomed to a life that is void of individuality without needed social change.
Description
item.page.type
Thesis