Response Paper On Edward Bellamy's Looking Backwards
Jasmine Doss
Dr. Magee
IAH 201
1-23-14
Response Paper 1: Edward Bellamy’s Looking Backwards
In Edward Bellamy’s Looking Backwards, the 19th century was a time full of war and poverty. Julian West was an aristocrat who noticed the gap between rich and poor. Although he could do anything to change that, he dwelled on the thought. Suffering from insomnia, West is put to sleep by a hypnotist one night, only to wake up over 100 years later in a Doctor’s room. Much to his dismay, the hypnotism kept him alive in a state where he did not age, allowing him to live that long. In the end, West woke up to realize that it was just a dream. During his dream he was in the 20th century where everyone had a high standard of living and individualism was
honored.
This novel perfectly fits the definition of a utopian model. Utopian fiction is the creation of an ideal society, or utopia, as the setting for a novel. Throughout the novel the author discusses his feelings about the inequality of labor, elimination of money, and scientific socialism. Edward Bellamy wrote his utopian novel largely in response to the growing crisis he recognized between workers and bosses that resulted in bloodletting such as the 1886 Haymarket Riot. In the twentieth century of Bellamy's imagination, Nationalism offers a response to rampant individualism. The unified nation led by a single capitalist cures labor crises by completing the inevitable convergence of human industry.
Looking Backward is frequently cited as one of the most influential books in America between the 1880s and the 1930s. This novel of social reform was published in 1888, a time when Americans were frightened by working class violence and disgusted by the conspicuous consumption of the privileged minority. Bitter strikes occurred as labor unions were just beginning to appear and large trusts dominated the nation’s economy. The author employs projections of the year 2000 to put 1887 society under scrutiny. Bellamy presents Americans with portraits of a desirable future and of their present day. He defines his perfect society as the antithesis of his current society. Looking Backward embodies his suspicion of free markets and his admiration for centralized planning and deliberate design.
Dr. Magee
IAH 201
1-23-14
Response Paper 1: Edward Bellamy’s Looking Backwards
In Edward Bellamy’s Looking Backwards, the 19th century was a time full of war and poverty. Julian West was an aristocrat who noticed the gap between rich and poor. Although he could do anything to change that, he dwelled on the thought. Suffering from insomnia, West is put to sleep by a hypnotist one night, only to wake up over 100 years later in a Doctor’s room. Much to his dismay, the hypnotism kept him alive in a state where he did not age, allowing him to live that long. In the end, West woke up to realize that it was just a dream. During his dream he was in the 20th century where everyone had a high standard of living and individualism was
honored.
This novel perfectly fits the definition of a utopian model. Utopian fiction is the creation of an ideal society, or utopia, as the setting for a novel. Throughout the novel the author discusses his feelings about the inequality of labor, elimination of money, and scientific socialism. Edward Bellamy wrote his utopian novel largely in response to the growing crisis he recognized between workers and bosses that resulted in bloodletting such as the 1886 Haymarket Riot. In the twentieth century of Bellamy's imagination, Nationalism offers a response to rampant individualism. The unified nation led by a single capitalist cures labor crises by completing the inevitable convergence of human industry.
Looking Backward is frequently cited as one of the most influential books in America between the 1880s and the 1930s. This novel of social reform was published in 1888, a time when Americans were frightened by working class violence and disgusted by the conspicuous consumption of the privileged minority. Bitter strikes occurred as labor unions were just beginning to appear and large trusts dominated the nation’s economy. The author employs projections of the year 2000 to put 1887 society under scrutiny. Bellamy presents Americans with portraits of a desirable future and of their present day. He defines his perfect society as the antithesis of his current society. Looking Backward embodies his suspicion of free markets and his admiration for centralized planning and deliberate design.