Title: The Handmaid's Tale
Author: Margaret Atwood
ISBN: 0771008139
Plot Summary: A theocratic dictatorship has overthrown the government of the United States and created the Republic of Gilead, in response to what it perceives as widespread immorality, corruption, and increasing infertility. In this dystopic future, women are not allowed to read, or even venture outside their homes except to run errands. In addition to the wives men already have, they are also allowed to take "handmaids," presumably still-fertile women who can provide them with now desperately needed offspring. A woman known only as Offred, a patronymic indicating only the name of the man she serves, feels stifled by her current life, remembering as she does the way things were before Gilead was founded, when she could live, love, and work as she chose. The only roles available to women in Gilead society are as wife, handmaid, or - for those who want a bit more freedom - prostitute. Offred makes plans to escape, but her ultimate fate remains unknown.
Showing posts with label Fiction: Dystopia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fiction: Dystopia. Show all posts
Lord of the Flies
Title: Lord of the Flies
Author: William Golding
ISBN: 0399529209
Plot Summary: A group of British schoolboys are stranded on a desert island after their plane crashes, killing all the "grownups" on board. Determined to create some form of order to survive, the group of boys soon split off into two factions: the main group, led by the charismatic Ralph, who feels it is his duty to look after the younger boys, and the "hunters," led by the older and more practical Jack, who takes responsibility for finding food for the group. Both tribes eventually become more animalistic, with Jack keeping his group in line by encouraging their belief in a rumored "monster" on the island. These rumors lead to the boys mistaking the corpses of a pilot, a parachutist, and a wild pig for the imaginary creature. Tragedy strikes when one of the boys is mistaken for the monster and killed by the others; this also causes a shift in power, as many of Ralph's followers defect to Jack's side. When Ralph's now much smaller band decide to steal the glasses of an overweight, awkward boy known as Piggy, the ensuing struggle leads to Piggy's accidental death as well. It is not until the boys are ultimately rescued that they come to realize exactly how far they have fallen into the traps of anarchy and barbarism.
Author: William Golding
ISBN: 0399529209
Plot Summary: A group of British schoolboys are stranded on a desert island after their plane crashes, killing all the "grownups" on board. Determined to create some form of order to survive, the group of boys soon split off into two factions: the main group, led by the charismatic Ralph, who feels it is his duty to look after the younger boys, and the "hunters," led by the older and more practical Jack, who takes responsibility for finding food for the group. Both tribes eventually become more animalistic, with Jack keeping his group in line by encouraging their belief in a rumored "monster" on the island. These rumors lead to the boys mistaking the corpses of a pilot, a parachutist, and a wild pig for the imaginary creature. Tragedy strikes when one of the boys is mistaken for the monster and killed by the others; this also causes a shift in power, as many of Ralph's followers defect to Jack's side. When Ralph's now much smaller band decide to steal the glasses of an overweight, awkward boy known as Piggy, the ensuing struggle leads to Piggy's accidental death as well. It is not until the boys are ultimately rescued that they come to realize exactly how far they have fallen into the traps of anarchy and barbarism.
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