Dystopian and Utopian Fiction in Trying Times

solarpunkprincess:

I’ve seen a lot of posts going around lately (and have reblogged some myself) that connect the bravery and strength of the Parkland survivors and other teens and young adults fighting right now to a steady diet of dystopian fiction while they were growing up.

And the parallels are all there.  An incompetent government that buries its collective head in the sand while being infiltrated by evildoers – am I talking about the current upswing in white supremacists in the US government, or the last three books of Harry Potter?  A young woman stands up and proclaims “no more!” while leading her fellow young people in a fight against the powers that be – am I talking about Katniss Everdeen or Emma Gonzalez?

I’ve no doubt that dystopian fiction has a place in times like these.  What other genre will tell you that it’s not only your right, but your duty to stand up against an oppressive regime?  What other genre shows teenagers that they have the strength to topple governments?  What other genre takes the oppressed and makes them the protagonist, and centers the story their struggle to be heard?  What other genre tells you that it’s okay to be afraid, or depressed, or have PTSD, and that you can keep fighting anyway?

But I’d argue that utopian fiction has a place in times like these, too.  Not, perhaps, as a call to action, but as a symbol of hope for what comes after.

Dystopian fiction too often ends right after the final battle.  The big bad boss is defeated, and there is perhaps an epilogue chapter or two emphasizing that All Is Right With The World.  And that’s fine – for a start.  But just as dystopian fiction reminds us that we are strong enough to tear down walls, utopian fiction reminds us that we are capable of building bridges.  Dystopian fiction holds up a mirror to show us the dark underbelly of what is, while utopian fiction shows us an image of what could be.

So much of our culture – American culture, in particular – focuses on battles, on fighting, on war, that I think we never really consider what might come after.  How many books have you read that focus on the struggle of building a new government from nothing?  How many popular novels talk about rebuilding communities, or re-establishing trust that was lost?  How often do you hear narratives that focus on building, rather than tearing down?

That’s what utopian fiction provides in trying times.  Not only a bright spot of hope, but an example of how to live after the battle.  They can be a story that tells us that the world doesn’t just have to be fight after fight after fight for the rest of our lives.

And, honestly, now might not be the right time for utopias.  Not yet.  While we’re still fighting, and in pain, and screaming into the void that this isn’t right, it isn’t fair, it can not be this way, dystopias give us the strength we need to keep going. 

But even the strongest warrior needs a light at the ends of the tunnel.  Even the bravest YA novel heroes get an epilogue where they get to lay down their sword and live in peace. 

And in a few years… who knows?  Maybe we’ll be ready for utopias then.

I think another problem with dystopian fiction is that not every resistor is this epic badass fighting off the bad guys with their arsenal of weaponry. It leaves out all the more minor and boring things real resistors did.