Introduction
Utopia means no place (Chalmers, 2922). The term means an ideal place of perfection, for instance, in-laws, government, and social conditions. Considering its historical context, Utopia is set in the new world, implying the Americas. The Western views of Utopia are associated with the desire to recreate paradises lost to history, such as Eden in the Old Testament. The term was translated from Greek to mean not a place. However, the term was written by Sir Thomas in 1516 to describe a perfect political system on an island. The book has then popularized the modern description of Utopia as a place of ideal perfection. In the 19th century, utopian sects can trace their origins back to the protestant reformation. According to the organization of the early Christian communities, community living developed and primarily grew within the monastic society. During the Middle Ages, communal groups spread to the external parts of monastic contexts and other various lay religious societies.
Then, in 1984, George Orwell wrote the timeless dystopian political book concerning the declining society through unjust and unsettled rates of policies. Winston Smith, a protagonist in Oceania, committed several thought crimes in the book, noting his thoughts against the government. In this case, George Orwell’s book is about Winston Smith, who committed to writing against the regime in his journal. Notably, Smith attempts to get involved in a rebellion; however, he is tortured together with his lover till they accept the regime. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the concept of Utopia and how it relates to George Orwell’s 1984, focusing on how Gorge challenges the notions of this concept.
The traditional notion of the Utopian Concept
The overreaching characteristic of the utopian society is that there was no greed, struggle for power, corruption, or money for privately owned property. Utopia was based on the fact that money destroys and corrupts justice in a society. For this reason, even the wealthiest individuals were unhappy with multiplying what they had and securing it. Instead, they would leave the rest of humanity without making ends meet, creating misery, injustice, and, ultimately, crime.
Another characteristic that defines the concept of Utopia is that it promotes independence, freedom, and information (Claeys, 020). Similarly, it was a concept that brought people together without treating them as singular. Citizens in this society embrace moral and social ideals as they welcome innovation and individuality. Traditional society has evolved to create a perfect utopian world where citizens live harmoniously.
Common Themes Found in Traditional Utopian Literature
One of the common themes embraced in traditional romantic literature is the search for justice. In the context of the Utopian society, the rulers are groups of intelligent and unselfish men referred to as guardians who carry out public affairs for the common good of the entire state. In addition, the principle of community is, in effect, arguing that no man would refer to anything as his own. Life is directed by moral principles with equality for both men and women. Other themes presented in this concept are wealth, slavery, and power.
The Counterpoint of George Orwell’s 1984
George Orwell’s 1984 is a significant example that portrays dystopian fiction. It envisions a suture where society declines with totalitarianism, creating vast inequalities and innate weakness of humans that keep the state in conflict and unhappiness. Precisely, 1984 is a dystopian book written by George Orwell illustrating the miserable society of Oceania. The main themes in this concept are control of freedom, propaganda, and censorship. George’s work demonstrates the government’s ability to change reality and manipulate facts to suit their narrative.
For this reason, George Orwell wrote the novel to show what could happen if citizens allowed their government to embrace as much power as they demanded. George was particularly against totalitarian and surveillance practices (Giroux, 2015). As I quote from his book, George mentions that; ”every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written directly or indirectly against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism as I understand it. After noticing what happened to the people of Nazi Germany, George wrote this novel warning people of what could happen.
How Orwell’s Vision challenged the traditional concept of Utopia
Considering George’s vision of the state of the future in establishing its power by destroying people, he believed that men could be forced and not protected into soullessness. Their fear of pain and dullness will dehumanize them. While the romantic concept implies an ideal place without abuse of power, George Orwell’s 1984 believes that it is impossible to achieve a Utopian society. George expressed his democratic socialism through his 1984 articles, believing in an active government, unlike an ideal authority that would never exist. In addition, George holds resilient hope for the perfection of a man and a just society, unlike the Utopian novels. He believed the human race can worsen through individuals’ lust for power and uncorrected cruelty. In addition, George believes in dystopia as he mentions that the modern Utopian society is not like the traditional one where people are not socially like those of 1984. For instance, people interact and communicate differently, which is not the case. Technology has created a need for more social skills, allowing men to communicate and communicate through social media and messages.
Bridging the Divide: Utopia vs Dystopia
George Orwell’s 1984 is regarded here as dystopia since it envisions the possibility of community decline through the innate weaknesses of human beings. Considering these two terms, a dystopia is a world where nothing is perfect, whereas a Utopia is an ideal place characterized by no abuse of power. As mentioned by George in his 1984 novel, a dystopia is characterized by a loss of individuality (Salah Rima, 2021). Considering the theme of power according to George, he uses the character Big Brother as the symbol of power. He mentions that individuals such as Julia and Winston struggle in opposition but encounter suppression and powerlessness in the long run. Even though Utopia demonstrates a super society, George’s dystopia portrays a thinkable world of oppression, suffering, and societal flaws. Remarkably, George has successfully challenged the traditional utopia concept by demonstrating the aspects of dystopia authority in striving for Utopia. Previously, this was portrayed by pursuing the party’s absolute power in marinating societal order. This paradox challenges the nature of both Utopia and dystopia, considering their possible elements of coexistence (Zaremberg, G., & Welp, 2019). Dystopia provides a vision of societal problems, while Utopia envisions perfection. The literature of Utopia provides innovative possibilities for critical thinking even though it cannot give sensible solutions for challenges in the real world. Utopia is, however, criticized for being speculative, escapist, and impractical. It also inhibits social and political change, unlike dystopia. Considering the dichotomy of these two concepts, dystopia can be perceived as the path individuals should embrace, while Utopia is the final path people should take, although it’s considered boring. Dystopia is also characterized by hostility, imbalances, and discomfort at the expense of the subjugation and suffering of others (TALALWEH, 2021)—similarly, some propagandeople’s minds are limited.
For this reason, 1984 bridges the gap between Utopia and dystopia, navigating the unclear boundaries between the concepts by creating a novel that challenges the dichotomies. Perhaps his novel is centered on surveillance and totalitarianism that characterizes a dystopian context (Kaleta & Sørensen, 2020). Similarly, the context of Newspeak appears as a romantic idea to foster a simplified language but later reveals a dystopian opinion in controlling thoughts and restricting language expression. Lastly, George subverts the idea of Utopia and argues that the purpose of a perfect society is for those in power to control the powerless citizens.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Utopia is considered to be an ideal place of perfection. However, George Orwell wrote the novel 1984 to challenge this romantic concept. By embracing societal structures and their implication on individual autonomy, George Orwell bridges the boundary between these two concepts by examining their existing gap. He comments on power, technology, and societal structures to reveal the dark side of Utopia’s idealistic opinions. He, therefore, challenges the traditional opinions of Utopia, showcasing how the pursuit of power through oppression can erode one’s freedom and mislead the significance of romantic desires.
References
Kaleta, E., & Sørensen, I. J. S. (2020). Surveillance Society in Dystopian Novels and Contemporary Society.
SALAH Rima, G. D. (2021). Loss of Individuality Under the Control of the Totalitarian System.
TALALWEH, M. (2021). The Imperfect World: A Comparative Study of the Materialist and Dystopian Vision of Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and Kee Thuan Chye’s 1984 Here and Now (Doctoral dissertation).
Claeys, G. (2020). Utopia: The history of an idea. Thames & Hudson.
Chalmers, S. (2023). The Utopian Law and Literature of Systematic Colonisation. Law & Literature, 35(2), 179-199.
Zaremberg, G., & Welp, Y. (2019). Beyond Utopian and Dystopian approaches to democratic innovation. Recerca. Revista de Pensament i Anàlisi, 24, 1-16.
write