Psychoanalytic Deconstruction of Dystopian Personae: A Comprehensive Study of Brave New World, 1984, Fahrenheit 451 and The Handmaid’s Tale

Souvik Datta; Ankita Dutta

Vol-8,Issue-1,January - February 2023

Author: Souvik Datta, Ankita Dutta

Keywords: Postcolonialism, Dystopia, Psychoanalytic Criticism, Postmodernism, Deconstruction.

Abstract: “I think dystopian futures are also a reflection of current fears.” – Lauren Oliver The more we progress towards a better dawn, the more we find ourselves involved in a dystopian societal bond. Far removed from Thomas Moore and his concept of utopia, we have drowned deep into the abyss of never ending chaos, the chaos of erroneous distortions that mess up with the wits and generate robots. All dystopian fictions deal with the same concept, but each become more menacing than the former. This feature that emerged as a by product of post-colonialism, has stormed the world in general and the literary sphere in particular, striking alarming thoughts. “But within every dystopia there’s a little utopia.” – Margaret Atwood. We, readers, have to understand these minacious nightmares that have been penned down since the last century. This paper attempts to deconstruct the four pillars of dystopian narrative: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, 1984 by George Orwell, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. The deconstructive analysis, done through psychoanalytic criticism, would be based on both the Freudian and Jungian principles. The novels selected are dystopian in nature, keeping in mind the postcolonial society and the crisis that it has been facing since the advent of the world wars. Some of the major analytical theories have been taken up together by this paper: deconstruction to point at the horror from the closest point of examination and psychoanalysis that will help with a better understanding into the psyche of the protagonists. This paper aims at giving a better insight into the postmodern dystopian society as a whole, seeking to provide a solution rather than posing a problem. “The beauty of dystopia is that it lets us vicariously experience future worlds – but we still have the power to change our own.” – Ally Condie This is exactly what this paper aims to present: an understanding of the future agitations, so that postcolonial dystopia remains a vague abstraction, never concretised!

Article Info: Received: 05 Jan 2023; Received in revised form: 03 Feb 2023; Accepted: 11 Feb 2023; Available online: 17 Feb 2023

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.81.21