Within science fiction, the concept of the dystopian world exists. These are the dark visions of the society. However, it is difficult to imagine that utopias would exist.
Harrison Bergeron and V for Vendetta stories present dystopian societies and both are stories of the future which shows how the government will slowly start controlling its people. In the stories, one character stands up to the government and shows significant defiance unfortunately, they end up dying trying to fight the controlling governments (Paik 34). The utopian society experience ideal life as everything runs smoothly. It resembles paradise as people live in a clean environment, friendly individuals and no stress. Many people argue that it is hard to find a utopian society in the world today as there are many issues just like in Harrison Bergeron and V for Vendetta stories.
Science fiction can be employed in several circumstances. As much as a utopia sounds ideal on the surface, it would be a very difficult task to create a utopian world. Creating an ideal world without conflicts is so difficult. However, science fiction comes in and gives us an idea how the world would look like. Most societies are dystopian as they are controlled by the government (More and Turner, 102). In the stories, prejudice is shown towards the people as they are not allowed to be different but think in the same way. Although the stories are told in very different settings, the themes are much the same.
It is very hard to think that everybody in the society is equal, however this is only possible in a Utopian world. The Handicapper General in Harrison Bergeron is given the role of averaging everyone in the society. The people were made equal by debilitating the ones who seemed to have higher abilities and thoughts than the others. The government through the Handicapper General altered the strength, beauty and intelligence of its people so that everyone in the community could be equal mentally, physically and socially by torturing them. The beautiful people were forced to wear hideous masks in order to cover their faces, the strong were forced to carry weights in order to be equal with the weak and the intelligent were forced to wear headsets and handicaps so as to interfere with their intelligent thoughts (Vonnegut 4). It was a society whereby the citizens were tortured in order to achieve physical, mental and intellectual equality among all Americans.
It is necessary to think of utopias as just illusions, dreams that are unachievable. As such, only science fiction plays a role in ensuring that such ideas can be tolerated. They are based on equality of mankind yet there are many social classes in the society and people do no live equally ( Dulin 4). There is segregation, discrimination and inequality in the society thus having a utopian society in unachievable.
In the book series V for Vendetta, following the nuclear war that ended the political catastrophe, the fascist state takes over with promises to restore peace. However, achieving this proves to be an uphill task. In V for Vendetta, the society is deprived of its rights socially. The citizens were controlled and dominated by the government. The society was subjected to a prison like country whereby all the citizens had to adhere to enforced curfews. The curfews are administered at 9 o’clock every night and all the people are forced to remain in their houses for their safety (Moore et al. 102). The people were denied social independence as they had to follow the rules of the government.
Although several mechanisms have been put in place to ensure peace is availed in the world, there are always problems and challenges that hinder it. Most governments frustrate their citizens with harsh rules and those who against them are punished, therefore many citizens live in fear. In both stories, anyone who went against the government was tortured and even killed.
Utopia is the process of creating an ideal society in one’s mind, which in the real world is impossible to be envisaged. The people who are living in Harrison Bergeron and V for Vendetta are both the victims of a dystopian society (Vonnegut et al. 56). The government in the two societies plays manipulative puppet master role to the people and has gained absolute power over their people due to psychological motivation. The people are only seen as nothing and mere Neanderthals striving for survival in a government controlled society and are tortured and punished if they go against the government.
In utopian societies, everyone is equal to the other. However, this is difficult to be achieved since some people are naturally clever than the others. In Harrison Bergeron, Harrison was above average than the other people and therefore it was very difficult to put him to the same level as the others. He was forced to wear weights, masks and radio transmitters in his ears but he rose up and threw them all away in order to fight the government (Vonnegut 5). This also applies to V in Vendetta who does anti government actions by fighting against the all controlling government thus fighting for the freedom on people. Both characters in the stories did their best to fight for the social dependence of their people in the society and against prejudice in the society.
Human beings are born different and it would seem unlikely that all will be equal. This is also facilitated by the different settings that humans may be subjected to. Not all people have the same intellect, strength and thinking capabilities and so there is no way that people can be equal (Laurel et al. 124). People do different things in life and that is why there are classes in the society, a society without classes cannot be complete as there should be different types of people. Human beings behave differently (Dulin 2).
Utopia is an ambiguous and an ironic projection of the ideal state. Members of the utopian society always work together for the greater good and equality in the society. This is quite very opposite in Harrison Bergeron and V for Vendetta stories. The government here works for its own good and it tortures the citizens in order to protect their own interests. To the governments in Harrison Bergeron and V for Vendetta, they do what they do thinking that they are creating an ideal society for he people and all they are doing is segregating and oppressing the society ( Vonnegut et al 124). They are fighting for equality which can never be achieved in a dystopian society.
It is difficult to dictate the state of events in the world. However much we may try to fantasize on several issues, the reality still remains that several forces intersect to determine the current state of affairs. The government will remain in control of what happens in the society. The government was in control of the Harrison Bergeron and V for Vendetta societies and no matter how some of the people tried to fight, they could never win against it.
It is very difficult to envisage a society in which people’s fantasies and utopias are put into practice. As such, there will be several clashes as one person’s wishes may be so different from another’s. The government in Harrison Bergeron wanted everybody to be equal physically, mentally and intellectually yet that was not the wish for all the people. Harrison needed social independence and that is why he died fighting for it. V also was fighting against what the government had made the society believe that it is being protected yet it was protecting its own interests.
In the book V for Vendetta, anyone whose differences caused them to rebel against the party was purified by the hegemonic government. V tried fighting with the oppressive government and he ended up dead without winning the fight. When Evey was captured, she was tortured as her hair was cut off in order to provide information on V’s whereabouts.
Not all people would develop the same ideas on how something should look like if given a chance. Therefore, it would be very difficult of imagining of a utopian state without science fictions playing a role. In the short stories Harrison Bergeron and V for Vendetta a frightening vision of the human society in the United States and United Kingdom respectively in the future is presented whereby all the citizens equal and no one should be above average than the others. The citizens lose their social independence and individuality and therefore absolute deformity of humanness.
Utopias are the dark visions of the society. How they function, resemble and act like is a complete mystery to people. They always make people believe that they are working for the greater good of the whole society yet in real sense, they are working to protect their own interests. In V for Vendetta, the information is fabricated for the purpose of supposed protection when in real sense the government is protecting its own interests and they do not want the people to rise against them. Same applies to the society in Harrison Bergeron whereby the information is also fabricated to protect the government’s interest and to avoid any form of uprising from the people.
Every individual has their own visions and wishes on how they would have preferred the world to be. However, they do not have the chance to modify it and as such, they must be contented with what they have. This is purely because, the government is always in control and as much as individuals will try their best to modify the world; they cannot do it without the government interfering with their plans.
Works Cited
More, Thomas and Turner, Paul. Utopia. London: Penguin Books, 20003. Print.
Laurel, Stan, Hardy, Oliver, Joannon, Leo, Hal Roach Studios, & Passport Video. Utopia. North Hollywood, CA: Passport Video, 2003. Print.
