Walden Two And Anthem: A Comparative Analysis

There is a fine line between utopia and dystopia. Both work towards group prosperity, order, and self-sustenance, but the methods they use to achieve these goals make all the difference—the difference between a society that takes advantage of the individual, and one that is centered on the individual’s well-being. Though the societies of Walden Two and Anthem have similar aims, Walden Two’s benevolence and City of Anthem’s tyranny lead the two communities to take very different shapes.
To begin, both Walden Two and the City of Anthem work towards the prosperity of the collective by abolishing competition, but in different ways. Walden Two uses behavioral engineering to encourage cooperation and to benefit the community with the best interest of its citizens in mind. People are free to choose how they contribute and have ample leisure time. On the contrary, Anthem’s community does away with competition by assigning occupations and ensuring that its citizens have no time to
In Anthem, the Councils indoctrinate their citizens through force and punishment of “sins.” In contrast, Walden Two achieves its control in a much more natural way—by behavioral engineering. Citizens are brought up to think a certain way by reinforcement of desired behaviors, rather than punishment of undesired ones. This produces respect for others, fosters creative thinking, and encourages a willingness to serve the community.
Lastly, both the City and Walden Two strive for self-sustenance. In Anthem, this is achieved through creating and maintaining a static labor system, which is rarely improved, as the Councils discourage the kind of the creative thinking that could conceive technological advances to lighten the workers’ loads. Walden Two, on the other hand, readily accepts advancements that “‘get rid of the work, not the worker’” (pg. 69), condensing the work day into four