“The Unit” written by Ninni Holmqvist begins with Dorrit Wegner, a single fifty year old woman who is picked up from her home and transported to a facility constructed by the government know as “The Second Reserve Bank” or “The Unit”. At The Unit Dorrit is one of the many people who chose to not have children, or were not fortunate to be able to conceive a child. It was not a secret to anyone who was sent to the unit, she knew she was to live the rest of her life being experimented on and stripped for her parts for the benefit of others until her final donation day. Sustainability of the government and the protection of human rights is a critical aspect of development in which we advance together equally. Doing so this would protect the basic rights of citizens and advance in human dignity. Countries with democratic freedoms are more stable and citizens are allowed to fulfill their potential. The level of public trust in democratic institution in the United States has been decreasing rapidly for decades because the government is mainly ruled by greedy corporations. Dystopian novels like “The Unit”, “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “Brave New World” show a glimpse of societies where democracy is unequal. Democracy is supposed to bring power to all but when an elite group is given too much power it can become detrimental . For example in “The Unit” Dorrit Wegner did not really go into depth as to why people of her age had to be sent to The Unit nor by who, But once she arrived to The Unit she was clearly aware that she was being watched. “ I became very aware of the surveillance cameras, and in my minds eye I could see someone sitting in a control tower somewhere in front of a bank of monitors,…” (Holmqvist 74). The unit is constantly being controlled and is being invaded of the citizens privacy. Questioning the democracy they have been put in, when in reality one wouldn’t think about having to worry about such a thing.
In “The Handmaid’s Tale”by Margaret Atwood , an elite group takes over the country in an effort to make the world a better place. The Handmaid’s Tale paints the picture of the republic of gilead, a totalitarian and theocratic state that takes place in present day New England. “Handmaid’s”, like reproductive slaves, are assigned to elite couples who cannot conceive children on their own. Throughout this novel, the oppression of women is a recurring theme.
In “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley, people are not equal. Prior to birth, fetuses are genetically and physically modified depending on which caste and occupation they are going to be assigned to. These unborn beings have no control over their future and have no chance to lead their own lives because the government stole their opportunity to have it.
These novels are important for today’s society because they are providing the audience with a glimpse of what our society has the possibility to become in our near future if we don’t realize the damage our behavior can cause and take action to change now. The authors of these novels picked out an issue they saw within society and exaggerated it to the perfect medium between the possible and the impossible.
