“We must remind ourselves of what the reality is within those lovely confines, that along with the neatly paved streets and the spotless schools and the fancy shops offering uncontaminated goods from all over the globe comes the fact that very little is guaranteed for a Charter person, if anything at all, and that one must continually work and invest and have enough money to sustain a Charter lifestyle or else leave” (Lee 61).
In the dystopian setup, B-Mor resembles working-class collectivism in an autocracy, whereas Charter village presents an elitist lifestyle that highlights personal endeavor. These two seemingly stable worlds have underlying fragility. The narrator illustrates that “self-sacrifice is a hallmark of life here in B-Mor”(Lee 59). Fan destabilizes this hallmark of self-sacrifice by pursuing freedom and love. The narrator uses contrast to highlight the benefits in Charter village, which is a set of complimenting words including “neatly,” “spotless,” “fancy” and “uncontaminated.” The perfectness of Charter not only contrasts with the struggles in B-Mor and open countries but also compares with the monotone work ethic of “continually work and invest and have enough money to sustain.” The usage of two and’s to connect a series of efforts shows that the life at Charter is not much better than living in B-Mor: longevity doomed by the Crash, exhaustive work and the pressure of qualification. Since B-Mor runs on the promise of survival and Charter village exists on privileges, how does life differ in this dystopian society when the purpose is simply to sustain? Are B-Mor and Charter villages similar to the working class and middle-upper class in modern society? Is B-Mor similar to the Chinese regime even though the people of New China have already migrated to a new place?
Sherrie Chen (sc2289)
Hi Sherrie, your response is really insightful and drew a lot of sharp connections between the dystopic worlds of B-Mor and the Charter villages. It is really interesting, as you pointed out, how the narrator uses descriptive words that evoke a sense of cleanliness and purity, to draw this pristine, sterile image of the Charter village. In response to your question about whether B-Mor and Charter villages are similar to the working and middle-upper class in modern society, I think the ways in which they perceive one other might be particularly similar in this sense: the notion of “dirtiness” is often ascribed to those who labor—who would sweat, the grimier or less kempt, odorous environment becomes the “filthy” and “contaminated”, and this concept is often used as a tool to oppress and keep lower classes separate from the light-filled, visibly purified spaces of the privileged. Meanwhile, the expectations of constant productivity as well as its “rewards” ail both societies of B-Mor and Charters. One difference might be in that B-Mor residents seem to have generationally obtained a fatalist(?) approach to their labor and lives— they understand that only a very very select few of them can ever have a shot at upwards mobility, and all of them cannot escape the C-disease. Charters are constantly dissatisfied and restless in a way that still strives towards immortality with their resources. Still, both are in service to the flows of capital and must continue to do their work nonetheless, whatever their fate.
Hi Irene, I was really amazed by your observation on the contrast between “dirtiness” and “cleanliness” and how this comparison is similar to the living condition of the working class. I never thought of it when I relate class to the novel. Thank you for adding more in-depth analysis to my interpretation!
Great questions, Sherrie! Your attention to the “underlying fragility” and the stakes of survival is especially apt. Lee was inspired by journalistic accounts of Shenzhen. How does knowing this change the reading.
Glad to see you and Irene in conversation here! Good attention to fatalism, Irene.
Dear Prof. Goffe, thank you for informing us about the inspiration behind the novel! Lee’s interviews on the novel definitely help unravel some questions we brought up in class.