The Dangers Of A Dystopia

Dystopian literature often foreshadows the future, revealing what life may be like if current societal issues are not appropriately resolved. Characterized by injustice and mayhem, a dystopia is a flawed society in which citizens are considered an extension of the dysfunctional environment that they live in. Both Burgess and Atwood provide insight into the dangers of a dystopia through A Clockwork Orange and Oryx and Crake. With a primary focus on youth culture, Burgess depicts a violent society due to lack of enforcement. The rights of people are not protected and they are subjected to unfair treatment when punished. Atwood focuses on the greed of humanity and issues of biotechnology. Through the social norms of society, immoral characters and abuse of science and technology, both Atwood and Burgess unveil a dystopian world along with its detrimental effects. Corrupted by tyranny and delinquents, the society in A Clockwork Orange represents a dystopia. Alex and his friends linger the streets at night and engage in various criminal acts such as burglary.

According to Alex, the lack of police patrol at night makes people fearful to leave their homes. The quiet streets allow the boys to get away with mischief (Burgess 45). The government does not seem to prioritize the safety of their citizens. As a result, the boys, along with other people in the town become much more inclined to commit these offences knowing that the chances of getting caught are slim. With no moral sense, the boys encounter an elderly man and violently attack him for their own entertainment. As the man is being abused, he cries out with frustration, “I don’t want to live anyway, not in a stinking world like this one […] It’s a stinking world because it lets the young get on to the old like you done, and there’s no law nor order no more […] What sort of a world is it at all? ” (12). The fact that he allows the boys to brutally beat him shows that he has lost all hope in society. The physical pain that he is enduring does not compare to the pain of living in a world with no structure defined by chaos. Rules that are not enforced, especially by authority figures, puts society in a state of severe danger. The dystopian society in Oryx and Crake is revealed through greed and corporate power. Jimmy acknowledges the carelessness of humanity with regards to the way in which the planet is treated. Hopelessly, he states, “Anyway, maybe there weren't any solutions. Human society, corpses and rubble. It never learned, it made the same cretinous mistakes over and over, trading short-term gain for long-term pain” (Atwood 243).

It is evident that humans will likely be the cause of their own downfall. Human beings must be mindful of what is damaging to the planet and population as a whole. If caution is not taken towards actions, the planet will no longer be able to sustain the population. The corruption of corporate power is evident through two distinct areas in the novel known as the Compounds and the Pleeblands. Those living in the Compounds are in a state of power and therefore have many privileges. Living in the Pleebands is like living in scum, according to Jimmy. It is a dismal place for the drug addicts, prostitutes and impoverished individuals. He describes the Compounds with prestige. Consisting of high walls, with top-notch security, researchers and their families reside in this area and are protected at all costs (27). The difference between the living conditions of each of these places and unequal access to freedom and rights is a form of oppression. Human beings must be treated with dignity and respect regardless of their status. The selfishness of human nature ultimately accounts for this faulty and dysfunctional society.

Alex’s thrill for violence reveals his psychopathic character. Alex takes pleasure in beating Billyboy. He describes his fight with Billyboy as an elegant waltz in which he slashes his cheeks with his knife in sync with the rhythm. He corresponds the sight of the blood pouring down with elegant red curtains (Burgess 15). Alex lacks empathy as he receives a sense of satisfaction from inflicting pain on others. The way in which he describes such gruesome acts with elegance and gracefulness reveals his eccentric and immoral character. Alex often envisions himself violently raping females. Reminiscing about his dreams, he states, “There were veeks and ptitsas laying on the ground screaming for mercy and I was smecking all over my rot and grinding my boot into their tortured litsos and there were naked devotchkas ripped and creeching against walls and I plunging like a shlaga into them” (27).

Alex is delighted by the thought of taking advantage of females. Rather than triggering feelings of guilt, the painful screams of these innocent girls stimulate his mind. Feeling no remorse for his sinful actions reveals his incapacity for empathy. Crake can be described as a psychopath as he is completely desensitized to violence. Crake chooses to watch violent live streams online consisting of assisted suicides or of people being stoned and beheaded. He finds these barbaric acts humorous and watches them with a grin of pleasure (Atwood 84). Unlike Jimmy who feels uneasy, Crake’s excitement towards watching such horrendous violence and torture proves that he lacks empathy and a sense of morality. Crake receives a thrill from violence and has no compassion for the individuals enduring what any person would consider excruciating pain. The violence that he takes pleasure in watching seems to influence his actions.

Jimmy describes the sight of Crake holding both Oryx and a jackknife with terror. Remaining expressionless, Crake murders Oryx by slitting her throat (329). Crake fully intends to murder Oryx, someone who he claims to love. Anyone willing to take away someone’s life is completely ruthless. Ultimately, his inability to express emotion even through gruesome scenes signifies his mental imbalance. Rather than being used for the right reasons, medicine and psychological tactics are used to manipulate the minds of people in A Clockwork Orange. As a victim of the Ludovico Technique, Alex is injected with nausea inducing drugs and forced to watch violent films on a daily basis. Although he feels severely ill, Dr. Branom reassures Alex that the pain he is experiencing is normal. The doctor argues that he must suffer in order to be cured (Burgess 48). Alex remains unaware of the medicine that he is being treated with. This technique is immoral as Alex has no control over what is being put into his own body and is forced to withstand the pain. F. Alexander acknowledges the negative effects of the Ludovico Technique and informs Alex that he has been deceived. He states, “They have turned you into something other than a human being. You have no power of choice any longer. You are committed to socially acceptable acts, a little machine capable only of good. . . . ” (115). Alex is a victim of this method of conditioning that rids him of his own free will. This technique is an abuse of a psychological principle known as negative reinforcement. Although there are different ways of controlling the brain, everyone should be entitled to their own opinions and choices. Rather than gaining an understanding of right from wrong, goodness is forcefully imposed upon Alex as if he is a robot, incapable of choice.

The misuse of science and technology in Oryx and Crake is evident through the damaged society taken over by biotechnology. Jimmy’s father reveals his neuro-regeneration project in which animals are genetically modified to act as organ donors for humans. Jimmy’s mother believes that the project is completely unethical as she states, “Be that as it may, there’s research and there’s research.

What you’re doing – this pig brain thing. You’re interfering with the building blocks of life. It’s immoral. It’s sacrilegious” (Atwood 57). Jimmy’s mother is the only character who acknowledges the issues with these biotechnological companies. Her choice to leave her family is likely due to her guilty conscience, being associated with her husband’s company. Her depression may stem from being a part of a selfish society that has no respect for nature. Crake attempts to destroy mankind and create a new population through his creation of the Blysspluss pill. Deceived by his friend, Jimmy later discovers that the pill is encapsulated with a deadly virus. Having already been distributed worldwide, Blysspluss becomes responsible for the death of billions of people (352). Those who enter the field of biotechnology should be trusted individuals with ethical and moral values. Crake uses his scientific knowledge as a means for destruction rather than to make a positive difference in humanity. Crake’s irrational character and irresponsible use of science and technology shows how it can easily be abused.

The dangers of a dystopian society are evident in both A Clockwork Orange and Oryx and Crake. Both authors portray a dystopian setting as they unravel the daily life of society, characters that reflect their corrupted environment and through science and technology, used for manipulation and destruction. Burgess draws an importance on rules, proving that they must be enforced in order to maintain structure in society. Atwood shows how greed is problematic, with a primary focus on how it will impact our planet. The evil nature of Alex and Crake coincides with the dystopia that they live in. Although science and technology should be used for the betterment of society, both authors reveal its negative effects if controlled by the wrong people.

Ultimately, the purpose of dystopian literature is to inform the reader of current problems in society and the potential consequences. These issues must be acknowledged and resolved in order to prevent potential damage in the future.