Book Reports / Dystopian literature Essay on Isolation and Governmental Control [3]

I had to compare two novels in any way possible. I took out the first two body paragraphs in order for it to be shorter and less time consuming to read. But feedback on what's here would be much appreciated. I also need help developing my thesis!!!!

Introduction: Progress can define a society, but that same progress could be the very reason society fails. Margaret Atwood and Jasper Fforde both have unique stories set in Dystopian societies. Atwood tells the tale of how society's advancements ultimately lead to destruction in Oryx and Crake. While Fforde, created a story of life after society's destruction in the discarded and isolated Outer Fringes, in his novel Shades of Grey. Isolation in both novels was a key theme in character development and governmental control. Being forced into leaving the comfort and normality of home for an isolated world can change a person and their opinion on society drastically. When someone is set on a certain way of life, it can be hard for him or her to change. By being shown a new perspective, people may begin to think differently about their way of life.

In Shades of Grey, the government has control over everything, but makes people in society feel that they are an individual. "The most we could say was that this was what national colour felt the colour of grass should be". (Fforde 10) Not only does the government have control over the actions that society does, but it also has control over every individual because the control they have over colours. The government has isolated every person by creating the caste system based on the colour you can see. At the bottom of the system are the people who can see only grey and at the top are the 'ultra-violets'. Jane, a seemingly unimportant grey living in the Outer Fringes, has a different perspective on society because of the isolation she has faced throughout her life. As a secondary character, she helps Eddie see life from a different point of view. "Despite what you read in Munsell, those aren't the only choices. We deserve better than this. All of us". (Fforde 111) Reading the stories and following the morals in 'Munsell' can be compared to reading the Bible. Jane teaches Eddie that living by the rules of 'Munsell' is not the only way to live and all of society deserves to be free, individuals.

The government is replaced by a compound security known as 'CorpSeCorp' in the novel Oryx and Crake. The compounds are sterile cities that are isolated from the rest of the world by gates that only allow people through if they have taken the proper sterilization medication. The 'CorpSeCorp' controls society within the compounds by creating new pharmaceutical drugs that people think they need to survive. Crake, a secondary character, created a pill that was supposed to give eternal beauty to those who took it. However, the pill was carrying a virus that killed almost everyone. As Jimmy puts pieces of his memory of Crake together, he is able to realize the true control that the 'CorpSeCorp' had. "But don't they keep discovering new diseases" (Jimmy) "Not discovering," said Crake. "They're creating them". (Atwood 211) The 'CorpSeCorp' was controlling society by a pharmaceutical drug for every type of disease. However, they were also creating the disease in order to make money and control the population. By becoming reliant on drugs to get through life, individuals in society were isolated from the reality of the world.