Why Aren't Utopias Portrayed More In Our Anthology?

Artwork By Jonas DeRo

It seems clear that there are exceedingly more examples of dystopias in literature and present fiction than utopias. Even where certain utopias are highlighted in films or novels of today, such as in the animated world of zootopia, there always exists a certain underlying feature of the society that proves the seemingly perfect aspect of the society false or vulnerable. Inevitably, this would serve to eradicate the illusion of a utopia completely after certain revelations, periods of time – or eventual plot twists.

I believe that there are a few underlying reasons for this phenomenon. It can later be understood that these would range from the blatantly obvious to conclusions which both question and credit the inherent nature of humans as individuals. These make one ponder on the ability to achieve the attainment of a true and sustainable egalitarian society.

The first reason that explains why utopians are very rarely stipulated as a choice setting for a novel is that, frankly, utopian portrayals tend to be completely without meaning. Utopias are defined as glorified societies with desirable or nearly-perfect qualities. It would thus result that with a setting so perfect and egalitarian, the problems that would potentially arise in an ordinary environment are effectively muted and sometimes by-passed altogether. This lack of meaningful conflict tends to result in works that seem dull and almost impossible to relate to or empathize with. In fact, when faced with a world so seemingly flawless and unoriginal - and which stays that way throughout the novel or film -  there almost doesn’t seem a point to having a plotline at all.

Moving along this line of thought, one might also argue that any elements that could be extracted from a utopian storyline would therefore just be too inconsequential to make the time invested into it seem worth it. A reader learns more from conflicts, and thus a protagonist’s long and harrowing journey is often validated by the sense of growth that is gained from identifying and overcoming specific adversities. Without this sense of having ‘gained’ from the context, which results only from maneuvering around a particular crisis at hand – and which is completely non-existent in utopias – the novel more often than not simply falls short of generating a satisfying conclusion and a sense of value for its consumer.

Another reason why a setting like this is very rarely weaved into existence is the sheer paradoxical nature of a utopia. There is a dominating complexity and consideration that must be put securely in place and upheld by the society to even generate the semblance of a utopia. This tends to destroy the framework or aspects necessary for the existence of it altogether. How believable would it be to influence everything in ‘just-right’ proportions, and to ensure that things function without the very least possibility of faltering? And more so, how possible is it to achieve this without the necessary entailing of the excessive amount of work and mental capacities that must carefully correspond to attain this?

This is almost cognizant of how a human exists as an individual. If there existed an utopia, would there really be no guarantee that somebody would not rebel? And if they did manage to take charge in a way that did not fully compromise the society, would this not point to an inherent weakness or vulnerability of the utopian setting altogether? After all, would a society not impact everyone living within it? And is it not made up, first and foremost, by the body or underlying mentality that governs it?

Humanity is built around individuality, and in all walks of life it is apparent that human selfishness and greed does exist. Human beings are flawed, and so are the decisions that one might make throughout their lives in line with others and their own personal welfare.

A truly utopian society would surely entail the presence of free will, and thus with such a privilege, how well could a species not deemed entirely ‘perfect’ in its own right actually fare upon the encountering of every decisive turn? In this way, it could even be argued that the existence or functioning of a true utopia is simply impossible to fabricate, due to the very fact that the ones benefiting from the utopia are rarely perfect individuals themselves. This speaks of the nature of a society’s inhabitants, and how the true tendencies and characteristics of a population would deem certain equilibrium outcomes close to impossible.

Yet, another reason why utopias are rarely portrayed nowadays could be the capabilities and mentalities of readers and consumers of the present.

Beyond the skepticism that comes with the meshing of human nature and ‘perfect’ lasting outcomes, our understanding of our real world and societies today have certainly made utopias a wishful product of the past. What we have learned from past utopian societies are that, one – they appear relatively short-lived, and two – they also appear predominantly doomed for failure from the very start. This lack of faith and belief that results, in a truly utopian setting, is thus proving the existence of one ultimately impossible – both in a physical aspect – as in the reasons listed initially – as well as in the mental context of the consumer themselves.

Rather, to put it more briefly, the present-day consumer is no longer as easily fooled or impressed as they had been in previous generations.

Therefore, there exists many reasons for the decreased presence of utopias in our literature and films – these have ranged from the simply duller nature of such plotlines, to the underlying paradoxical nature of true utopias and the sheer conflict the existence of one would have with the true and honest natures of its inhabitants. And from a much wider yet valid point of view, it should be mentioned that with the current mental attitude and knowledge of consumers, an utopian setting is simply not believable, empathized with, or able to be sold and accepted readily today.

- NK