"Looking Backward: 200-1887"

Paper Summary:

Edward Bellamy's novel, "Looking Backward: 200-1887", addresses the issue of industrialization in his time and his dream of a Utopian society. The novel follows a young Bostonian man through his journey from a time of social horrors to the perfect, or what seems to be perfect, future of a Utopia. The paper shows how the novel addresses the yearnings of a society stricken by economic panics and social collapse by proposing an Eden-like community in which war, hunger, greed and malice were eliminated from society.

From the Paper:

"As stated earlier, Bellamy used this novel as a way to convey his thoughts on a Utopia to the public. In a time when his society was in shambles, he thought this a perfect and simple solution to the many problems faced in the economy such as labor, education, and human equality. He believed that by granting the government complete control, complete harmony would be achieved. However, he neglected to see that the possibility of human behavior to change so drastically so as to not have greed, lust for money, or animosity toward those less fortunate, was near impossible."

More papers on "Looking Backward: 200-1887":

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• Analytical Essay # 22088 : "Edward Bellamy "Looking Backward: 2000-1887"

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