Dystopian Journal 1

Prompt A

"The newspaper stories were like dreams to us, bad dreams dreamt by others. How awful, we would say, and they were, but they were awful without being believable. They were too melodramatic, they had a dimension that was not the dimension of our lives. We were the people who were not in the papers. We lived in blank white spaces at the edges of print. It gave us more freedom. We lived in the gaps between the stories" (Atwood 56-57).

What is revealed about society from this passage?
People sit back because they are afraid to be different. In this society, being different, being outspoken, is dangerous, giving more emphasis on the fear of being different. The fertile women were blessed with the fact that they are able to bear children; it helps them blend in better. The society that is revealed shows that conformity is key in be able to be free; however, it is a different kind of free. To be different, and to get away with it, is liberation. But the kind of freedom you get from conforming into this society is the freedom to stay alive. Those who attempted to break the barriers of this society were put on display by these newspaper stories; showing that fear is key in this society. "Awful without being believable" - meaning, those who have chosen to conform to this society are led to believe that everybody is a conformist, and that nobody tries to break the barriers of this society. Though, without these people who tried to liberate themselves, the women who suffered to conform would no longer be able to live in the shadows.


word count - 188