Dystopia and Real World

Fiction is not as far from the truth as you think. The Met Gala was scheduled to take place in May 2024 in New York, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art themed on JD Ballard’s short story “The Garden of Time”. People also drew comparisons between the Met Gala and The Hunger Games trilogy written by Suzanne Collins. The collation between a real-life mega-level rich and posh event to dystopian novels which were centred around the concentration of power in a few hands worried netizens and as a result, resulted in a lot of backlashes. The invocation of The Garden of Time and The Hunger Games underlines a growing unease with conspicuous consumption and the perceived detachment of the elite. Dystopian themes and the growing disconnect between the world of the elite and the world that affects the majority of society are emphasized throughout the discussion.

Serving as a powerful mirror to society, the dystopian genre reflects the deepest fears, anxieties and concerns while underscoring the probable future of the world according to the author. Using verisimilitude in nature, nightmarish scenarios, and under an authoritarian regime, the dystopian novels amplify political, social, and technological trends. It enlarges and distorts reality while painting a picture of totalitarianism, environmental disaster, and loss of individuality with erosion of freedom.

It acts as a warning for readers of the world and stories like Orwell’s 1984 and Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” that look deep into the effects of government control and the loss of individuality and body autonomy. Novels such as Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World or Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 address the “dehumanizing effects” of technology and the “possible control” achieved through the challenges of progress and union. Although social media has become an important part of everyday life, it raises various concerns about manipulation, privacy, and loss of meaningful communication.

It spreads misinformation that can distort public perception and manipulate opinions, creating echo chambers and polarizing societies that undermine democratic processes. This is somewhat reminiscent of dystopian works like 1984, where those in power rule and rewrite history. It reflects community concerns about the direction these platforms are taking.

But the point of this dystopian novel is to show that this genre is not just fiction. It is prevalent in the real world while people are busy in their daily lives. One of the common themes in dystopian fiction is the loss of privacy as a result of mass surveillance. In George Orwell’s 1984, the government continues to monitor its citizens with “news” and other devices. Privacy just does not exist in the society. Even their true emotions, let alone the expression of thoughts and ideas, are not expressed by the citizens. In the real world, mass surveillance by governments and corporations has become commonplace. From CCTVs to online tracking, personal data collection has become widespread. They do this without full transparency by corporations and government bodies.

Many dystopian stories depict a world that has been destroyed by environmental degradation, most often by negligence on the part of human beings or at the hands of greedy corporations. The Road by Cormac McCarthy tells a rather hopeless story of human survival in apocalyptic conditions by focusing on global warming, destruction of the forests and emissions of greenhouse gases. More and more often, natural disasters, species extinction, and deterioration of ecosystems as well as other detrimental environmental changes represent real-life effects of dystopias as vividly portrayed in literary works.

Dystopian worlds like The Garden of Time and The Hunger Games are often characterized by economic inequality, with the rich living in luxury while the majority live in poverty. In The Hunger Games, the Capitol’s economy is in flux as the government struggles to survive. Economic inequality is a global problem, with wealth concentrated in the hands of a few while millions live in poverty. Factors such as globalization, tyranny, and political corruption have widened the gap between the rich and the poor, mirroring class differences in dystopian fiction.

Dystopian literature often explores the events and ethics of genetic modification. In works such as Brave New World, society is divided into different genetic systems, people are created with different roles and are deprived of the freedom to choose. The advent of CRISPR and other gene editing technologies in present times brings us closer to a world where genetic modification is ubiquitous. The ability to create “babies” to alter human behaviour or enhance abilities raises serious ethical questions. An era in which genetic engineering is used to improve society or create a class with superhuman abilities could lead to a very dark dystopia where people are divided not only by wealth but also by biological systems, and everyone is left behind.

Dystopian novels often imagine space wars in which orbiting platforms or space stations are used as tools to control the Earth. In Elysium, an elite space colony has the power to control life on the planet below. The proliferation of space armies, as well as nations developing weapons and satellites that can target each other’s assets, portends a dystopian future in which conflicts extend beyond Earth. The ability to use space-based weapons in global conflicts, or the ability of a small number to control vital resources such as satellite communications and navigation, could lead to power imbalances with far-reaching consequences. Space could become a war zone and billions of lives could be at risk, a terrifying reality that presents a horrific dystopia of technology being used for destructive purposes.

As the world continues to evolve, the line between dystopian fiction and reality is blurring. These scenarios, while unnerving, are not far-fetched. By presenting these frightening and often terrifying visions of the future, they serve as a stark reminder of the dangers that could arise if we don’t take the necessary steps to make dystopian futures possible. These realistic depictions of dystopian themes demonstrate the vigilance, moral resolve, and collaboration we need to keep the dark side of these stories from becoming our reality.

Jazbia Junaid is a student pursuing English Hons from Jamia Millia Islamia.

Edited by: Ayesha Alim