Compare_the_Devices_Used_to_Depict_the_Futuristic_Dystopias_in_the_Road_by_Cormac_Mccarthy_and_1984_by_George_Orwell.

Compare the devices used to depict the futuristic dystopias in The Road by Cormac McCarthy and 1984 by George Orwell. In both The Road by Cormac McCarthy and 1984 by George Orwell, the writers use aspects of the societies they live (or lived) in to create a dystopian future - a place where the state of life is particularly bad, in which people are often forced to live in fear, as a result of deprivation or tyranny. These elements are used extensively in both novels. Orwell’s themes are based upon political injustice, and how man’s own power and authority has the possibility to grow so overwhelming that freedom could become non-existent. McCarthy, however, appears to direct his warning at mankind itself, using the future shown in The Road as a look at where carelessness towards the preservation of Earth could lead us. What both writers also show us is the way a typical man in such a situation could react, representing mankind’s determination to fight against the hardship of modern life and move forward. This is reflected through the central characters in each novel, which are used as devices to show the effect the state of the world has had on mankind. Both authors present their protagonist as someone that is experiencing the difficulties of their dystopias first-hand, and in this sense we as the reader feel sorry for them because it is perhaps a situation that we could not imagine ourselves in because it is so far removed from what we know. This could be one of the reasons that both novels are written in the form of a third-person narrative, because the authors as humans in their contemporary day could not imagine themselves in such situations, so instead create a character that is unlike them in order to adapt the said character to the situation more freely. While both characters are similar in that they struggle because of the hardships of the world that they live in, the authors use them to portray the novel’s setting in very different ways. While the main character in 1984, Winston, is not the narrator, Orwell appears to present the story from his point of view in order to give the reader a strong insight into the personality of the character. In Chapter 2 Winston is visited by a neighbour, Mrs. Parsons. Upon her introduction Orwell describes her as “a woman of about thirty, but looking much older. One had the impression that there was dust in the creases of her face.” While this is part of the third-person narrative, it is clear that it is from Winston’s point of view. For example, the use of a woman of “about” thirty is a sign that the narrator is unsure of her age, which would show that this description of her only goes as far as Winston’s own knowledge. This is perhaps an indication that Orwell does in fact want us to engage with his protagonist on a personal level, and learn about the world in the novel from Winston’s own experiences, instead of being explicitly filled in by the author. The presentation of The Road contrasts this greatly; first of all, the main character is identified as “the Man” throughout the novel. This instantly puts the reader on a non-personal level with him, which greatly contrasts Orwell’s presentation of Winston. Furthermore, this means that McCarthy can give the reader less access to the Man’s personality, giving him more freedom to create an unpredictable character; leaving the reader unsure of how he may react to different scenarios he may come across. The same can be said for the setting as a whole- we do not know what happened to cause the world to be like this, and we never find out. Despite this, however, there is a certain similarity between the presentation of the characters, in that the story is again told from the protagonist’s point of view; even though we as the reader have little knowledge of the man’s character, we still go through the novel only seeing things from his perspective. This perhaps shows that in a world such as the one created in The Road, identity and personality are of little importance. An example of the story being told from the Man’s point of view comes when he and his son come across a group of people inexplicably driving a truck. Here, McCarthy writes: “They could hear the diesel engine out on the road, running on God knows what.” This once again gives the reader insight only as far as what the character knows, as it is the Man that would not know what the truck is running on, not the writer. In addition, the fact that “God” only knows indicates that despite the post-apocalyptic state of the world, there is still faith in God, perhaps demonstrating that God is not to blame for this apparent apocalypse that has occurred, but instead it is the result of man’s failure to preserve the earth, strengthening the idea that the dystopia in the novel is a warning presented to mankind by McCarthy. Something else used by the authors to present their dystopias to the reader are the settings, showing how they contrast with the world contemporary to the respective writers. Orwell, for example, goes about staging the contrasts straight away with “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” Instantly, this establishes a difference from the world the reader knows, striking them straight away with the opening line with the use of “thirteen” as a time, which also lets them know that this is set in an era that has yet to come. Furthermore, the use of the number thirteen, a traditionally unlucky or negative number, could reflect the mood of at least the opening of the novel as a whole; Orwell not only using it to demonstrate a stark, futuristic contrast with the reader’s world, but also to use a negative number as the time to reflect the atmosphere. Orwell acts quickly to establish early on that the world in the novel is a dystopia, informing us of “the economy drive in preparation for Hate Week” in a matter-of-fact way, not revealing at this point what Hate Week is, which once again creates a negative feel before the reader is even aware of what the world in the novel is like. We also learn that “at present the electric current was cut off during daylight hours.” This apparent lack of electricity during the day demonstrates a regression from the modern day- a clear sign of a dystopia. We know that this is set in the future, as we have already learnt that in this era there are thirteen hours on a clock. In a similar fashion, McCarthy uses the opening to set the scene in a way that alerts the reader to the fact that this is set during a time which appears to have not yet passed. Like Orwell, McCarthy presents this future as a bleak and negative one, instantly painting a dark and negative picture of the setting for the reader. With the line “Nights dark beyond darkness and the days more gray each one than what had gone before” it is made obvious that the world that is portrayed in extremely bleak and this is enforced with “Like the onset of some cold glaucoma dimming away the world.” The use of “glaucoma” makes the reader feel that the world is suffering from a disease, and that everything light, in the literal and metaphorical sense, is fading away. What is contrasting in the opening of these novels is the level of ambiguity used. McCarthy clearly sets out to create a dim, unwelcoming atmosphere, whilst still leaving the reader rather unaware of any sort of setting other than “the woods.” Orwell, however, sets the scene straight away, informing the reader that this part of the story is set in “Victory Mansions.” This shows the contrast between the authors’ respective themes for each novel- Orwell’s decision to open the story in a government establishment reflects the theme of political dominance, whereas McCarthy’s bleak, dark forest setting reflects the reduced state of the world as a result of environmental disaster. Anything man-made appears to have deteriorated greatly, which is very much reflected in this rural opening setting. The theme of political dominance and injustice in 1984 appears to be drawn from the state of the world during the time in which it was written- 1948, a time in which the world was recovering from World War II and was split up into separate bodies of influence by the great powers, much like the Ministry system created by Orwell in the novel. The Road was published in 2006. During this year, Al Gore’s documentary film An Inconvenient Truth was released to the public. This was also an environmental warning and as a result climate change was a topic that was beginning to be taken very seriously, and so the similar warnings in The Road were particularly relevant upon its release. Both writers draw their ideas from strong, very true themes to create their dystopias, and use characters suited to their particular themes. The use of appropriate characters is very important as it helps the reader relate to them and in turn develop a further understanding of the dystopia that is presented. Winston, for example, is clearly a character designed to progress with his life in a normal fashion under the futuristic structure, but is also given a somewhat rebellious edge that leads him to question his setting. The Man, on the other hand, is a determined, loving character that is equipped mentally to lead himself and his son through this hardship. Furthermore, both novels contain very strong settings that are designed to reflect these themes, whether they are a well-structured urban setting or a bleak ambiguous one. The purpose of these settings is to demonstrate how much the world in the story contrasts with the reader’s. Both of these devices are very intentional in depicting these dystopias, as it is the strongest way of drawing the reader to them and creating a world that they can relate to. Bibliography: The Road, Cormac McCarthy 1984, George Orwell