Feed Essay

One of the key ideas in MT Anderson’s “Feed” is the idea of a futuristic dystopian, or oppressive/negative society, which holds many parallels with our own. He uses the destruction of nature and social values, such as family and religion, which we as a society hold so dear, as well as the destruction caused by the vast implementation of technology, and its consequences in the text, to create an ominous warning for our own society.

In the novel “Feed”, much of earth’s natural environment has been destroyed, or has succumbed to the ecological turmoil caused by the rapid advance of the human race. This re-shuffle of the natural order if things is best shown in the chapter titled “A Day in the Country,” where the characters Titus and Violet travel out to the “country.” There they visit a steak farm, but instead of livestock, and other things brought to mind by our society’s interpretation of the term “farm,” what they encounter is a bizarre parody, with living meat growing artificially in vast “plantations.” This just adds to the sense of urbanisation that is common to a dystopian novel. This destruction of nature is shown again while Titus’ father is recounting a recent whaling trip to the rest of his family. While whales have not been lost, they are forced to be encased in a synthetic form of protection, as the seas have been rendered highly toxic by many years of heavy pollution. In scenes like these, MT Anderson shows us a very debased, and in many ways artificial society. With the loss of anything natural and good, “Feed’s” society has slipped further and further into its own degraded, synthetic nightmare, but what is worse, is that MT Anderson has intended this is a portrayal of our own society in the future if we do not change our ways, which adds intrigue and interest to the text.

This is shown again in the devaluation and destruction of social values, whether they be emotional, physical or spirtual. In the image of the future that “Feed’