| "Utopia in Science Fiction: A View on the Unattainable and Impossible" |
| Throughout the history of literature there has been the element of a utopian society. Not until Sir Thomas More�s Utopia, written in the early 16th century, was the name coined, derived from the two Greek words, eutopia (good place) and outopia (no place) [Utopia]. This alludes to the impossibility of such a place, but the overall premise of a �perfect� society has been prevalent in works before this one. Regardless of the unattainable nature of such a place, the very quest for such a land is what keeps the dream alive, that classic quest for knowledge will never die. In The Odyssey by Homer, there are several elements of such a community that can be viewed through a simple glance at the text. Also, in The True History by Lucian, utopian elements can be found all through the pages. These societies give rise to new ideas of the unknown world around us such as the idea of a hybrid. This idea of a hybrid of the human form can be viewed throughout ancient literature and other such science fiction works, it is seen in both The Odyssey and The True History. However, what is not seen on the surface of these texts is that a utopian society itself is a hybrid of a normal community of people. A common society has good and evil present within it, where as a utopian society is understood to be good in every form and the people within these �perfect� societies are usually themselves described as hybrids of normal human beings in either the physical, mental, or spiritual sense. A utopian society does not begin and end with the society itself, there is much that adds to the image of such a civilization. The overall perfection of such a place (which can be created at will by any literate person with even the smallest imagination) is what gives it the image of utopia, but the minuet details are what lead the audience to truly believe in the possibility of the existence of such a world, despite the complete unlikelihood of the existence of this ideal place, which deep within the confines of our souls, we all know to be true. In the works of science fiction and similar genres there exists descriptions of two different types of utopia; eutopian and dystopian. Both of these societies are in a sense perfect but they are achieved through radically different methods. An eutopia is based on rules and laws that govern the people and bestow upon everyone equal wealth and the like. In a sense it is an early form of communism. A dystopia is built on what outsiders would view as primitive customs or in a much more radical analysis, chaos. In these societies everyone is equal as well, but no wealth or power is distributed among the masses. It can be viewed as some type of a totalitarian society. As stated earlier, The Odyssey contains within its pages the two main types of utopia. The first to be discussed will be the eutopian form. As Odysseus hesitantly makes his way from the shores of the Phaiakian land to the palace of the great king Alkinoos, Homer stops to remark on the beauty and shear unimaginable wonder of the surroundings. He states, �For as from the sun the light goes or from the moon, such was the glory on the high-roofed house of great-hearted Alkinoos� [The Odyssey]. This illusory description of the palace gives one a feeling that such beauty has never before been seen by any normal man in the course of his existence. For the ancient Greeks the sun and the moon represented the ultimate finality in a person�s life when their Psychy, or soul, and their Nous, or mind, are separated from the body at death. The mind travels to the sun and the soul goes to the moon, though it too longs to be with the sun. Therefore, such a portrayal of a house compared to that of the sun and moon is one that expresses the true unavailability of such perfection in a society of man. Later on in the narrative the outside of the palace is described in such a way that it alludes to the beauty of heaven itself: �On the outside of the courtyard and next the doors is his orchard�Never is the fruit spoiled on these [trees], never does it give out, neither in winter time nor summer, but always the West Wind blowing on the fruits brings some to ripeness while he starts others�Such are the glorious gifts of the gods at the house of Alkinoos� [The Odyssey]. A depiction of this type, where the very landscape seems to have been touched by some higher power, gives the feeling of a heaven on Earth to the audience, and the image of perfection to the society described. In other works the images of the landscape are what is used to establish an awareness of superiority in living of more perfect communities. In Candide by Voltaire the mysterious land of Eldorado is described, �The land here was cultivated for pleasure as well as from necessity; everywhere the useful had been made pleasant� [Candide]. Here it is seen that the purity and purpose of the land has been taken into complete usefulness, such as the lands of the Phaiakians have been utilized. Lucian�s The True History also contains the elements necessary for a utopian society. The description of the Island of the Blest is the perfect example of a eutopian world. Even upon approaching this land the pure marvel of it is expressed: �When we got a bit closer to it, we became aware of a wonderful perfume floating about in the atmosphere, of much the same kind, no doubt, as the one that Herodotus describes as emanating from Arabia. To give you some idea how pleasant it was, it was like smelling roses, narcissi, hyacinths, lilies, violets, myrtles, bays, and flowers of the wild vine, all at the same time� [The True History]. A description of this kind insinuates that there is even more beauty and splendor waiting after arriving at this Island of the Blest. After entering the town it is seen that it is built entirely out of gold [The True History]. Here, once again, beauty is being used to give the impression of a place that is of incomparable splendor. The town is described as being a great treasure in itself, and such attractiveness can only be achieved in a world of immaculateness. Moving on to the next type of utopia, dystopian, herein lies the dark side of the so called perfect society. The classic example of this type of negative utopia is George Orwell�s 1984. Here the people are all protected by a higher ruling power, yet they are not free to live and think for themselves for fear that the whole society itself will crumble as a response [1984]. The Odyssey is also a remarkable example of this form of society. While Odysseus relates to the Phaiakian audience his adventures he describes his journey to the land of the Cyclopes: ��[The Cyclopes] putting all their trust in the immortal gods, neither plow with their hands nor plant anything, but all grows for them without seed planting, without cultivation�and it is Zeus� rain that waters it for them. These people have no institutions, no meetings for counsels�each one is the law for his own wives and children, and cares nothing about the others�� [The Odyssey]. The Cyclopes have been given all that they require to sustain their lives and they need not do anything at all to ensure this gift. Where as the people of other lands that have been given the gift of perfection by the gods, the Cyclopes (who have been given these gifts as well) do not pray to the gods, or give them thanks. ��We don�t pray. We have nothing to ask of God: He�s given us everything we need. We constantly thank him�� [Candide]. This is the mindset of the people of Eldorado, that land that was blessed with the glory of glories of riches. They are in the same situation as the Cyclopes, yet the people of Eldorado take the time to show gratitude to their provider. In The True History there exists a point at which the main character, Lucian, and his companions are trapped inside the stomach of an enormous whale. �The largest [whale] was about a hundred and seventy miles long� [The True History]. Once again, the impossibility of such a beast is what is used similarly when utopian societies are described. Lucian and his crew are then swallowed by the whale and find that in the inside there is an island that is inhabited by not only humans, but also hybrids. In side this creature there are people who: ���look like kippers�[with] eyes like eels and faces like lobsters�mermen�people with claws instead of hands�[some] who have heads like tunny-fish�[and] crablike creatures with feet like turbots, who can run very fast and are extremely quarrelsome�� [The True History]. This hybridic description of the beings that reside inside the whale is associated with the hybrid type of place that they are currently inside. After disposing of these hybrids, Lucian and his crew are free to rule the island. They are provided with everything they need from the whale sucking in all the outside necessities for their survival. The whale is a perfect example of a dystopian society, and comparatively is equivalent to Kalypso�s island in The Odyssey. Both are places where everything will be provided for the inhabitants with little work actually done by them, but they become places that harbor the feeling of captivity, and therefore are not truly an eutopia but instead a distorted view of perfection; a dystopia. Of course, there are more reasons behind believable utopian society aside from the standard know kinds. There is the understanding that an outsider is related to a negative connotation, for their lack of knowledge of this perfect society is what would inevitably be the demise of such a way of life, and reversely an insider who has been infected with knowledge of the outside world would have the same effect upon the society. ��they ordained that no inhabitant of our little kingdom should ever leave it, and that�s what has preserved our innocence and our happiness� [Candide]. As this undying rule is relayed by the old man in Candide, it is understood that all people from these types of societies have come to this understanding that outsiders will destroy their inner perfection and beauty. Another way of conveying a utopia to an audience is the use of many strange animals in a description of a society, added to its already strange customs and people give to it a paradoxographical outlook and a utopian rendering. Such uses of imagery can be seen in more modern literature: �Romping, prancing, fluttering, gliding, crawling, waddling, with every kind of movement � in every kind of shape and colour and size � a whole zoo of beasts and birds was pouring into a flowery valley through the passes between the peaks at his back� [Perelandra]. This is an example of incredible beasts that can be used to allude to a mysterious land of riches and wonders; a utopia in itself. Such examples can be seen in almost all science fiction works. The use of aliens is a major way of expressing such a feeling. So as it can be seen, the unobvious can be a major element to impart the impression of utopia. So, throughout most of literature there has been that unyielding belief in the impossible society. A place that uses all of its resources fully; a place where and all the people within its confines can live a life of equality with one another without fear of becoming unsatisfied of their yearning for physical, mental, and spiritual comforts. These people, however, are much different from the people of our own societies. They have achieved something that we could only dream of accomplishing, and with it they have changed themselves as well, for the better and for the worse. There is reason for creating, in your mind and the minds of others, the idea of utopia. It expresses that there is good in the unexplored vastness of the universe and not simply the commonly expected chaos that the unknown brings with it. For the unknown is the main factor for the purpose of exploration through the lives of all the people of the world. It is mankind�s primal emotion of fear that leads us to believe that the worst is what is waiting for us at the end of that deep tunnel or around the end of that dark alleyway. All people throughout their short existence in life have had that sudden realization that something evil is waiting for them at the end of this journey which they have embarked on. This is what raises the deep question: Why is it that everyone fears the darkness and does not instead embrace it and take that step into the unknown for the possibility of bettering themselves and the world around them? A quest through the unfamiliar, a quest for knowledge, is what has driven humanity since its appearance on this tiny little blue world and is the reason for our survival. Man�s curiosity is what leads him to still higher and higher statures in the overall place of our species in the cosmos. Despite all the beliefs that many people hold within themselves about the complete purposelessness of life, everyone feels that there is some point to our existence, some reason for going on for all these years, like we are approaching some sort of finality in life. All of the other creatures of this planet have been given some type of advantage over the other animals around them, some type of physical superiority to them. Mankind was not given this. Instead, we were given the gift of knowledge and creation, and if we continue to evolve in our existence and our technology then one day we will find that which we have been looking for throughout our existence. We will find utopia. �Utopias have often been plans of societies functioning mechanically, dead structures conceived by economists, politicians and moralists; but they have also been the living dream of poets.� -Marie Louise Berneri, Journey Through Utopia Works Cited: Berneri, Marie Louise. (1982). Journey Through Utopia. New York: Left Band Books. Lewis, Clive Staples. (1996). Perelandra. New York: Scribner Paperback Fiction. More, Thomas. (1981). Utopia. New York: Penguin Classics. Orwell, George. (1983). 1984. New York: Plume/Harcourt Brace. Voltaire. (1981). Candide. New York: Bantam Classic. |