Why is Dystopian Literature Rising in Popularity Today? | Teen Ink

Why is Dystopian Literature Rising in Popularity Today?

January 25, 2019
By ivaldivia77 BRONZE, Lowell, Indiana
ivaldivia77 BRONZE, Lowell, Indiana
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

All over the United States people are asking “Why is Dystopian Literature experiencing  such a rise in popularity today?”. There could be many reasons. Dystopian Literature attracts readers with information that is realistic, but is really fictional. That is why it is so good. It puts information that could really happen one day into a story. The good thing about this literature is anyone from the age of around 12, and older can read this. Dystopian literature is different from Utopian Literature. Dystopian Literature is more on the negative side of things, where as Utopia is where everything is perfect. There are many reasons why dystopian stories continue to rise throughout time.

 In “Harrison Bergeron”,  the main idea of the short story is for everyone to be equal. Equality is the state of being equal and in this story everyone has to be. This happened because in the beginning of the passage they talk about the 211th, 212th, and the 213th amendments to the Constitution. They all talk about being equal stating that nobody is stronger, quicker, better looking, and smarter than another person. The handicaps play a big part of being the better people. If you are above average than an average person, you are placed as a handicap. The rules are so serious that they get $2,000 or 2 years for each ball removed. This just shows how strong the government spies on their people.  I am not going to lie if I lived like this, it would be terrible. You could not do anything. The government watches everything you do, and everything you say. This just shows how bad this dystopia lives.

The story “Ten with a Flag” was my favorite story out of the three short stories. In the story the world is corrupt. They can’t pick out their own clothes; they can’t do anything. In the story there are things called flags. If a child has a flag that means there is something wrong with it. “No one ever said we would let you go through with it though. The flag is an option, not a right, Arrest him!” (Haines )They basically tricked Johnny because he was the flag’s “sacrifice”. Here is an example from the story that states that they couldn’t pick our their own clothes, “Don’t even try to pick something out for yourself just wear what your wardrobe chooses” (Haines ). If the government didn’t allow us to even pick out our clothes. This is how strict the government is. It shows that the government wants everyone to be equal, with the same rights as other people.

“The Veldt”, the longest out of the three was the most boring to be honest. This story shows how technology is taking over the world. I will show you all the examples of how it is taking over in “The Veldt”. “That sounds terrible! Would I have to tie my own shoes instead of letting the machine do it? And brush my own teeth and comb my hair and give myself a bath?” The technology is way more advanced than they will be in like 10 years. Another reason is this quote “Lydia, it’s off and stays off. And the whole damn house dies as of here and now. The more I see of the mess we’ve put ourselves in, the more it sickens me. We’ve been thinking of our machine assisted for too long. My God how we need a breath of HONEST air!” It just shows how reliable they are on technology. The father wants to just show them what it feels like without technology.

 In conclusion, dystopian literature is having a rise in popularity. Dystopian literature gives readers the ability to see what it feels like to live outside their own life. It gives readers and allows them to escape and shows them the opposite of a perfect place, which is what gets the attention and gain popularity.



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