False Utopias

False Utopias

            Many of us have dreamt of a perfect world:  a world in perfect harmony, without war, disease, famine, or hardship.  We hope for a world in which everyone is equal and we have no worries.  The unfortunate side to this is that we as a society do not live in such a perfect world.  The world we live in now is flawed, and not as great as we may have hoped.  This reason, perhaps along with other factors, drives some people to attempt to create, what they believe to be, a perfect society or world.  They believe they know the secret to success in creating such an awesome, and amazing world.  The sad truth is however, that these attempts at creating a perfect world, always fail.  Their idea for a dream world usually turns into a nightmare, and in turn becomes worse than the world or society in which they once lived in.  So this brings about a great question:  why is it that all these attempts at creating a perfect world always fail, and if it’s true that no human can create a perfect world, is there such a thing as a truly “perfect” world?

            Let us start by defining a perfect world or society.  Another, perhaps better word for an idealized, perfect world is “utopia.”  Many dictionaries have multiple definitions of utopia, one usually being “an ideally perfect place, especially in its social, political, and moral aspects.”  Of course, such a place sounds incredible!  Who would not want to live in and or be a part of such as a utopia?  This is a place that many of us can only dream of.  The word, utopia, was originally coined by Sir Thomas More around 1516 in his book of the same name, Utopia.  The book was a work of fiction, which basically described a perfect society on an imaginary island.  A society where everything is perfect sounds amazing, but there is unfortunately another definition to utopia found in most dictionaries:  “an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect.”  Utopias have been labeled “imaginary,” “unreachable,” and “fictitious.” This amazing dream of “Heaven on Earth,” of a utopian society, proves to be nothing more than that:  a dream.  It’s unfortunate that those who seek this awesome, idealized world, always fail, and instead of reaching or creating a perfect utopia, they instead usually manage to form or find a “dystopia.” 

A dystopia is a failed utopia in which social, living, and political conditions are terrible.  Dystopias are the opposite of utopias.  It’s the result of trying to reach a utopia by inappropriate means.  Dystopias are false, failed utopias.  Most of us have seen dystopias through out multiple forms of media.  The Empire in The Empire Strikes Back is a dystopia as well as the country of Oceania in the book 1984, and the city of Rapture in the video game Bioshock.  The creators of these dystopias didn’t set out with intentions of creating a dystopia.  In fact, many might argue that they simply went about obtaining a utopia in the wrong manner, thus a dystopia is born.  Take Andrew Ryan, the creator of the city Rapture in the video game Bioshock, for example.  Ryan had a dream of creating a perfect world free of government control where people could practice science uninhibited.  However, the discovery and use of a new substance, along with other faults in his political and social structures, led to Raptures dystopian state of terror.  As mentioned before, no one sets out to create a dystopia; they simply occur due to improper means at reaching a utopia.  Totalitarian governments are yet another great example of a failed utopia turned dystopia.  Perfect Communism, for example, sounds amazing!  Everyone’s equal, no one has to worry about being homeless, food is never a worry, no one is poor:  everything about it sound perfect; a true utopia!  However, the reality is that Communism never works out to be perfect.  The government controls, and owns everything.  Human rights and freedoms are sacrificed, and one is usually forced to worship and obey the government.  The idea of Communism sounds like a true utopia, however, when one attempts to reach that utopia, they fail, and instead manage to create a far worse dystopia. Talk show host and American syndicate, Dennis Prager put it best when talking about people who try and create a utopia, “Although images of perfection in people’s personal lives can cause unhappiness, images of perfect societies – utopian images – can cause monstrous evil.  In fact, forcefully changing society to conform to societal images was the greatest cause of evil in the twentieth century.” The creator of any dystopia may have once had great visions of forming a perfect world and or society, however, they are never able to fully visualize that dream and vision, and instead end up creating a world similar or in some instances worse than the ones they were trying to perfect.

So why is it that no one can manage to create a true utopia?  Why do the dictionaries describe utopias as imaginary and fictitious states of mind?  Can we never create a real, honest, perfect utopia?  I would argue no we cannot.  We as human beings cannot create a true, perfect utopia.  It is impossible.  Why are we unable to do this?  We are all flawed individuals living in a flawed environment.  All that humans know or have ever known is flawed.  We have no way of possibly, truly understanding what perfection is.  As flawed creatures, we are unable to grasp the concept of perfection.  We will never be able to fully realize what it means to be perfect, for in order to understand perfect, we need to be perfect and not flawed.  This is why it is impossible for humans to create a perfect utopian world.  The word perfect isn’t even a correct word to describe true, ultimate perfection, for language itself is flawed.  As imperfect beings we are unable to truly understand perfection, and thus unable to create perfect, utopian worlds.  I am not saying that true perfection cannot exist.  Many would argue that the only true utopia is Heaven, and the only perfect being is God.  I’m not saying perfect perfection and utopias cannot exist, but that we as humans are incapable of interpreting, and understanding real perfection and utopias. 

Now that it has been established that it is impossible for an imperfect being to create a perfect utopia, we can assume that all attempts at creating a utopia by imperfect beings by imperfect means will always fail, and thus usually lead to the creation of a dystopia.  It’s a sad but true fact, that no matter how hard we as human beings try, we will not be able to create a true utopia, only dystopias.  With that in mind, let us focus on some examples of failed utopias in different works of art.  There are a sundry selection of books, movies, and video games that chronicle dystopias.  We have already mentioned some great examples such as The Empire Strikes Back, and Bioshock, but there remains an unmentioned cornucopia of other works that explore failed utopian societies.  For this essay however, we will focus on two specific works dealing with dysfunctional utopias.  One is the book 1984 by author George Orwell, and the other is a video game by the name of El Shaddai:  Ascension of the Metatron, a game by Ignition Games.  Both deal with the concepts of utopian fantasies and explore a dystopian society(s).  In the following paragraphs we will dwell deeper into these works, and see for ourselves how the compare to one another and how they relate to the ideas of utopian and dystopian worlds and societies. 

First, let us explore George Orwell’s novel, 1984.  While there are many great books that deal with dystopian societies and failed utopias such as Brave New World, City of Ember, The Hunger Games, and many more, none do a better job of creating such a real and terrifyingly believable dystopia, than Orwell’s 1984.  In the book, a terrifying totalitarian government controls the make-believe nation of Oceania.  The government, or party, here has complete and total control over everything and everyone.  The government even has control over what individuals should think.  Thought police enforce the laws and make sure that no one even thinks of malice or blasphemous thoughts towards the government.  In an attempt at creating a perfect society, the government also forces certain individuals to rewrite history in their favor, and creates a new language so that ill words of rebellion may not be muttered against the sovereign government.  TV monitors are watching citizens everywhere, surveying everything.  The party’s leader, known only as “Big Brother,” is also mentioned everywhere in posters, broadcasts, and conversations; yet he is never seen.  The reader is never completely able to discern for sure whether or not Big Brother actually exists, or is just something else made up by the government.  George Orwell wrote this book probably to warn of the dangers that exist in totalitarianism governments, however, it also proved to show how one’s attempt at creating a perfect, equal society or world (in this case the government of Oceania) fails at becoming a utopia, and instead turns into a terrible dystopia.  The book does a great job of making the reader feel as though they are being oppressed by a totalitarian government.  As one continues to read, one cannot help but to feel sympathy for the protagonist Winston Smith.  One witnesses nothing outside the world of the oppressive regime in the story, and keeps hope that things will work out and perhaps Winston will escape the clutches of this awful dystopia, yet he never does.  Orwell does such a great job at creating such a believable dystopia, that it is easy for the reader to believe that such a place existed, although it’s a work of fiction.  This book remains a great example of what happens when someone attempts at reaching or creating a perfect utopian society and fails.  I’d personally like to imagine that the government of Oceania never intended to create such an awful, dreadful dystopia.  They probably had great expectations, aspirations, and dreams originally for their nation.  However, they went about achieving this perfect society all wrong, and in turn, created a terrifying, awful, oppressive dystopia. 

Another aspect I personally enjoyed about Orwell’s 1984, was the sense of someone watching you always.  This was accomplished in a manner of different ways in the novel.  One was the fact that it was a totalitarian government, in which the government owns everything, including the citizen.  One could not escape the government in Oceania for they were everywhere.  Even when we were led to believe a certain party member was part of the Brotherhood, a secret organization aimed at taking down the oppressive government, we soon realize that that individual was working as an undercover government agent all along.  There was no escape from the government.  Another way in which 1984 succeeds in making one feel that someone is constantly watching was by the television monitors which were everywhere.  If a government official wasn’t around, more than likely one of these monitors was.  Even in the room that Winston rents thinking that there are no monitors in, there is one hidden behind a painting, which eventually leads to his capture.  Finally, one of the last ways in which 1984 tends to make one feel as though they are being watched, is through Big Brother.  Big Brother is such an amazing character in 1984 in that we, as readers never get to see him.  He is talked about and referred to all through out the fictitious land of Oceania, with statements everywhere proclaiming, “Big Brother is watching you!”  And yet, through out the entire story, we never get to see him/her.  One could argue that Big Brother may not even exist, that he is just a myth propagated by the government to give the citizens a leader that they can put a face to and believe in.  I’m not sure whether or not Big Brother is real, but it’s interesting to think that the leader of this totalitarian government that wished to create such a perfect utopia may not even exist.

While books such as George Orwell’s 1984 do a great job at showing us how we can never achieve a true utopia, only dystopias (especially when relating to totalitarianism), they are not the only medium for showing us this concept.  Nor are books necessarily the best medium at showing us and having us experience dystopias.  Movies too do great job of helping us experiencing flawed utopias, but I would like to argue that in some cases, video games do a better job of helping us to experience dystopias than any other form or medium.  One could easily read a well-written book about a dystopian society such as the ones found in books like Brave New World, or 1984, and become engrossed in the literature and experience a dystopian society.  These books can do a great job of getting the reader to understand the setting, the characters, and the plot, but some mediums may do this better.  Video games, in my opinion, do a much greater job at showing us failed utopias and dystopian societies.  There are a plethora of games out there that have to deal with dystopias and failed utopias such as the previously mentioned Bioshock, as well as hundreds of more.  Some titles are better at showing the concepts of dystopian societies than others, however, what makes these games a better medium for portraying the idea of an unsuccessful utopia, is that they help the user feel more attached to dystopia.  While books are great at getting the reader involved and believing in the setting such as the one set up in Orwell’s 1984, I would like to argue that games do a greater job, and help the user feel more connected with the fictitious, false utopia than most books.  In a game, the user becomes a part of the world, they can interact with the game space via the onscreen avatar, and visually see what the game’s version of a failed attempt at creating paradise looks like, whereas in a book, the visuals are usually left up to the readers imagination and interpretation, and they usually cannot interact with the setting directly.  I personally feel more connected to a character in which I am in control of in a game, rather than one I am reading about in a book.  While both books and video games are great mediums to explore the concept of failed utopias, in some ways, I believe that video games are more successful at portraying this concept.

While there are multiple and sundry games that deal with dystopias, there is one in particular that manages to stick out amongst the rest, and that game is El Shaddai:  Ascension of the Metatron.  I honestly cannot think of a better game that deals with the idea of individuals attempting to create a perfect world, only to fail, and instead create a flawed, unsuccessful paradise.  Surprisingly, the game shares many similarities with George Orwell’s book, 1984, which I will dwell into later; but first, let us discuss the story of El Shaddai.    The game tells the tale of a group of angels known as the Grigori, or ‘The Watchers,’ who become fascinated with the lives of humans.  They become so interested in the lives and potential of human beings that they rebel against God, and leave Heaven in order to create their own version of Heaven, or what they believe to be a perfect utopia.  The user assumes the role of Enoch, son of Abraham, who is sent by God to leave Heaven in search for fallen angels in order to bring them justice for rebelling against Heaven.  When he returns to Earth, Enoch has to climb a massive tower erected by the Watchers, where each level consists of a dystopia created by one of the fallen angels, with their leader, Semyaza, residing at the top.  Each of these fallen angels have created their own version of Heaven on the different levels of the tower.  However, just as we have learned earlier, their attempts at creating a perfect world end in vain, and instead of each level of the tower becoming a representation of Heaven, each level of the tower is a failed utopia.

I personally find it interesting that these angels would leave Heaven, a perfect and perhaps the only true utopia, in order to try and create their own version of paradise.  In leaving Heaven to attempt to create their own utopia, they are claiming that the world in which they were living in was not perfect, or that they could form a better one.  Perhaps they had it in their minds that they could create a better world than the one they lived in.  Ideas such as these apparently lead many to attempt and create a perfect utopia in which to live in.  Individuals may believe to have the secret to creating a perfect world, such as the government in 1984 who believed that complete government control would lead to a perfect society.  Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.  Just as the totalitarian government failed at creating a utopia in 1984, so too did each of the seven fallen angels personal interpretations of Heaven fail.  The fact that the angels were flawed beings, that they were not perfect, and that they went about creating this utopia by imperfect means, led to the creation of their own personal dystopia.  They may not have sent out to with the intentions of creating a failed paradise, but as we have learned before:  all attempts at creating a utopia are unsuccessful. 

Although each of the fallen angels attempt at re-creating a new, personal take on Heaven all inevitably fail, that’s not to say that each Watcher didn’t have good intentions in creating their own utopia.  One of the angels, Azazel for example, became fascinated by science and technology.  He left Heaven because he believed in the future of mankind.  He had passion for the evolution and advancement of the human race.  His level of the tower is filled with technologically advanced equipment, and vast, highly developed cities.  Everything within this level has a sci-fi feel to it, and it appears to be city Melina ahead of technology nowadays many ways.  Even the player, as Enoch, must adapt to this alien environment.  While in Azazel’s technologically advanced level of the tower, Enoch dons an advanced, special suit of armor, and traverses the realm on a futuristic motorcycle bike of sorts.  One would think that such a technologically advanced level would be a great utopia for human advancement and evolution.  However, Azazel’s forced accelerations on the inhabitants of his realm have lead to corruption amongst his followers.  This advancement has somehow altered those in his realm into mechanical abominations and monstrosities.  I don’t believe Azazel set out with intent to create such a terrible dystopia, but that’s exactly what happened.

Another Watcher in control of one of the realms was Ezekiel.  She loved the warmth associated with family love so much, that she abandoned Heaven.  She wished to create a world in which she was the mother of so many children, where she could love them and receive love back.  Once again, similar to Azazel, she went in attempting to create a utopia with great intentions, however her dream quickly turned into a nightmare for her subjects.  Her love grew so intense and twisted, that she began to transform her subjects into swine.  In doing so, this led others to fear her and stop loving her with maternal love.  Sariel, another fallen angel in the game, also became captivated by human love.  However, he especially loved human women, and the feeling that came with it.  He abandoned Heaven to find love amongst mortal women.  He had no intentions of creating a dystopia, however, unfortunately for Sariel women became too attached to him.  Even after death, their spirits still floated around the fallen angel.  His relationship with earthly women also led to the birth of Nephilim.  These Nephilim are offspring born of the union between mortals and fallen angels.  They are pitiful creatures that may grow out of control in the game and consume everything in sight.  Once again, these fallen angels did not leave Heaven in an attempt to create a dystopia, just like how the government of Oceania in 1984 did not set out with intentions of creating a failed utopia.  In fact, I would argue that no one truly sets out to create a dystopia.  These awful dystopias exist because an individual or group set out to create a utopia, or perfect world/society and failed.  One cannot create a perfect world or society if one is not a perfect individual.  The fallen angels in El Shaddai, were not perfect.  They still had their own personal flaws, and thus when they attempted at creating a perfect utopia, their plan back fired, and instead resulted in the creation of a dystopia, just like how the government created such an oppressive, flawed regime instead of a utopian society in George Orwell’s 1984.

Another way in which 1984 and El Shaddai share similarities is in the sense of being watched.  The fallen angels in the video game are also called the Watchers for a reason.  They watched over the lives of mortals in Heaven, but now they keep a close eye on the residents and spaces of their realm.  They are able to see everything that goes on within their level of the tower at all times.  Nothing goes unseen by the Watchers in El Shaddai, much in the same way that nothing goes unseen by the government via spies and TV monitors in 1984.  It’s no surprise that when the Watchers don their armor, they posses a giant eyeball on their helmet.  They are able to track and surveillance everything and anything that goes on within their realm.  The Watchers track Enoch’s progress as he ventures up the tower.  Enoch is constantly under surveillance throughout the game.  However, the Watchers aren’t the only one’s keeping an eye on Enoch.

While the fallen angels are constantly and closely watching Enoch as he ascends their tower, they are not the only ones keeping an eye on him.  Always present, but rarely seen are the four archangels that watch over Enoch.  They too, keep a close eye on the player, occasionally providing tips and suggestions for what’s going on in the game space.  Unlike the TV monitors, thought police, and spies in 1984 however, these four archangels are friends of Enoch, and help him out on his journey.  But how does it feel to be constantly under surveillance?  Even if it is a friend or friends watching?  Would an individual act differently knowing they are being watched?  Would that individual act differently knowing that they are always being watched?  Enoch is referred to in the game as a good righteous man with a pure heart, but would he act this way in private?  Would he still be the same person and act the same way if he knew he wasn’t being watched or monitored?  Winston Smith from 1984 acted differently when he was aware that he was being watched.  He actually went to great lengths to try and avoid being watched.  And when he felt no one was looking, he would break the law in many ways.  This is why Winston rented the room above the store, because he thought it a safe place where he could hide.  While there he had sex with Julia, which was against the law in Oceania, and practiced many other things that was against the party’s laws.  He did these things here because he felt he was hidden and safe.  He felt that no one could see him in that room.  When he left the room to enter society, he acted as an obedient servant to the government when he knew he was being watched, in fear of getting in trouble.  Who is to say Enoch may possess the same type of character as Winston Smith?  Well, we cannot say for sure, because unlike Smith, Enoch is aware of the fact that he is constantly under surveillance. 

One other way in which El Shaddai and 1984 share similarities, is that they both believe in the idea of a “Big Brother” figure.  As mentioned before, in 1984, there are constant references made to a character known as “Big Brother.”  This character in the book is the supposed leader of the government and spokesman.  I say “supposed” leader because the reader is never informed for sure as to whether or not Big Brother actually exists.  There are references made through out the book about this character, such as the infamous line, “Big Brother is watching you,” yet we never see if Big Brother actually exists.  Is he a real person, or just another lie made up by the government to give its citizens a face to put with the government?  This is perhaps left up to the reader to decide.  A similar situation occurs in El Shaddai as well.  In the game, it is said that seven angels have rebelled against God and have fallen to Earth, with Semyasa being the leader of the group.  As mentioned, Semyasa, is the leader of the fallen angels and thus resides at the top of the tower, in the highest level.  Throughout the game, players are reminded of how powerful Semyasa is, as compared to the other angels.  The guide, Lucifel, constantly reminds us that once we stop her, the mission should be over and done with.  However, as the game progresses, we never see nor hear from Semyasa once.  After finally reaching her level of the tower, after playing through the rest of the game, the player feels ready to see what their final foe looks like.  They fight a few tough bosses, and then proceed to a room housing the life support system for Semyasa.  They open the container housing the leader of the fallen angels, and are presented with… nothing.  The leader of these fallen angels doesn’t even exist, at least not anymore.  She may have existed at one time, but when the player eventually reaches the final level, there is no leader.  I personally think this is a great way to treat the final leader of the fallen angels.  I mean think about it, after falling from Heaven with the intention of trying to create a perfect world, no matter how good of intentions they may have had in creating such a utopia; they ceased to exist before reaching that end.  Thus it was impossible once again, even as the leader of the fallen angels, to create a perfect world and society.  This is interesting that both stories, El Shaddai and 1984, possess such an enigmatic king, or leader of the group attempting to create a utopia.  These are just a few more similarities that the game El Shaddai and the book 1984 share in common. 

In conclusion, both stories El Shaddai and 1984 are similar in a plethora of ways.  Both of these tales focus on the ideas of failed utopian societies, they both possess a sense that the main protagonist is under constant surveillance, and each story has a “Big Brother” figure.  Although no one ever sets out to create a dystopia or failed utopia, this is what they almost always achieve.  People and organizations believe that they can create a perfect society, free of grief, war, famine, disease, and hardship.  They wish to create a truly flawless world.  However, the sad truth is that they will never succeed in reaching this idealistic state. 

We can never ultimately achieve a true, perfect utopia for one reason:  we are flawed individuals with flawed ideas.  Human beings cannot truly understand perfection, much less what a perfect world or society is, and therefore can never create or form one on our own.  We are incapable of true perfection.  I am not saying that perfection as well as a true utopia cannot exist, simply that we cannot fully understand what it means to be perfect.  It is because of this reason that people and government can never obtain a true utopian state:  the people attempting to find or reach a utopia are flawed individuals using flawed methods to reach a perfect world.  It’s reasons such as this that hinder us from achieving the utopian state. 

People never set out to create a dystopia.  The dystopia is the failed result of trying to find or create a utopia.  For example, the government of Oceania in George Orwell’s book, 1984, created a terrible, horrible dystopia where the government rules all, controlling every aspect of the country, even civilian thought.  However, I would argue that the government didn’t set out to create such an awful, flawed system.  This is just a failed attempt at creating a perfect and equal society.  The same can be said for each of the fallen angels in the video game El Shaddai.  Each angel left Heaven in an attempt to create his or her own version of perfection, but unfortunately only succeeded in creating a failed dystopia.  Azazel fell in love with the advancing science and evolution of mankind, so he created a “utopia” in which he helped boost technological knowledge and evolution.  However, this forced advancement twisted many of his subjects into terrible monstrosities and forms.  The fallen angel Ezekiel loved the feeling involved with motherly love, so she created a world in which she could love her “children,” and have them love her in return.  However, once again, this utopian idea quickly turned dystopian, for her love grew out of hand and began to morph some people into pigs.  Sariel also longed for a perfect world.  In his ideal world, he enjoyed the love of mortal women.  Yet, dispite his harmless intentions, his love for mortal humans was so strong that it kept their souls tied to his realm, which manifested even after their death, because they still loved him.  The bond between Sariel and mortal women also led to the creation of Nephilim:  offspring of fallen angels and mortals, which consume everything.  Like I had mentioned before, no one sets out to create a dystopia, they are simply the product of attempting to create a utopia. 

1984 and El Shaddai also relate in that they both have a sense that someone is watching the main character, that the individual is constantly under surveillance.  It appears that both characters are always being watched.  Winston Smith, in 1984, is almost always being monitored by a slew of sources such as the Thought Police, the TV monitors, and of course, Big Brother.  This changes the way the character acts at certain points.  When Winston is aware that he is being watched, he acts as an obedient citizen, appearing to follow the rules and guidelines set by the government.  However, when he feels as though no one is looking, he changes character in many ways.  He has sex, which is illegal in Oceania, he writes blasphemous things in his notebook such as, “Down with Big Brother!” and attempts to join an organization aimed at overthrowing the government.  Similar to Winston Smith, Enoch is also monitored quite a bit.  The Watchers, or fallen angels, keep on constant eye on him as he ventures up their tower, and the archangels keep a constant watch on him from above and guide him on his quest.  However, the thing that separates Enoch from Winston Smith is that Enoch is never not under surveillance.  Someone is always watching Enoch, so we only see him act the way he would as if he knew someone were watching him.  Would he act any differently if no one were watching him?  We can only speculate.  Both of these works of art have that sense of people watching and keeping a watchful eye on the main characters of the two different stories. 

Another similarity that both El Shaddai and 1984 share is that they both have a “Big Brother” figure.  In 1984, Big Brother remains a very enigmatic character.  He is mentioned throughout the nation of Oceania, his messages such as “Big Brother is watching you!” are plastered all over the place, and he is labeled as the leader of the government ruling party.  Although Big Brother is mentioned all throughout the story of 1984, we never actually see him in person.  The reader is never certain whether or not Big Brother actually even exists.  It is all left to speculation.  There exists a similar situation in the video game, El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron.  The leader of the fallen angels, Semyaza, works largely in the same role as Big Brother did in 1984.  She is the one that orchestrated the rebellion from Heaven, and leads the other rebelling angels to Earth where the begin construction on their tower and forming their own versions of Heaven.  She is one of the main targets Enoch needs to return to Heaven for judgment, and throughout the game the player is warned of how powerful she really is.  However, when the player finally reaches her domain at the top of the tower, she is nowhere to be found.  Perhaps she faded away while trying to complete her perfect version of Heaven.  We are left to wonder what really happened.  Was she assassinated, did she just die, or did she even exist to begin with?  These are all question we are left asking by the end of El Shaddai.  Both these works of art had a mysterious leader in control of the dystopian societies in which we, the readers and player, are left to speculate on the details of who they really were, if they even existed.

I realize that there are a plethora of games, books, and movies that deal with the concept of dystopian societies and failed utopias, however in my opinion, George Orwell’s book, 1984, and Ignition’s video game, El Shaddai, do a better job at showing this sense of what dystopia is like, more than other works of art.  Each work has their own strengths depending on the medium.  A book works better at giving more specific back-story behind characters, and a game helps the player feel as if they are interacting with the world and environment in which the story takes place.  People have always dreamt of living in a perfect world: a world free of disease, pain, suffering, and worry.  It would be a wish come true to live in a society where everyone was created equal, and there were literally no problems.  However, we don’t live in a perfect world.  Our world is unfair, flawed, and full of hardships.  This truth causes some people to attempt to try and create a perfect world or society.  However, the sad truth is, no matter how righteous of a motive someone may have in creating a perfect world, they will never succeed.  They will always fail in creating a true, perfect utopia.  We as human beings are simply incapable of creating a perfect society or world.  We are all flawed individuals, who are unable to create a truly perfect society.  Thomas More’s idealistic vision of the perfect society on an imaginary island was nothing more than that:  a vision.  A true utopian state is impossible to reach.  So therefore in my closing statements, I urge humans to stop searching for this impossible to create state of utopia.  Instead people should focus on the world here and now, and focus on making it better, not trying to make it perfect.  We may never be able to reach perfection, but we can make the society in which we live in better.  Jack Carroll brings up an interesting point when he commented on the idea of utopias, “Perhaps the greatest utopia would be if we could all realize that no utopia is possible; no place to run, no place to hide, just take care of business here and now.”