Theory of Dystopia Unfolded - A Bird’s-eye View of Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay’s “The Insect”

Abstract

Dystopia is a term which was used by John Stuart Mill in 1868 when he gave speech in the British House of Commons criticizing the government"s Irish land policy. It is the opposite of the term "utopia" which was taken from Sir Thomas More"s novel. While utopia is an imaginary place where everything is pleasant, dystopia is a place where everything is unpleasant. In literature the concept of dystopia is often used to depict a futuristic society which is in a degraded state. Dystopian literature warns the society about the consequences of degraded living. Oxford Advanced Learner"s Dictionary defines the word "dystopia" as "an imaginary place or state in which everything is extremely bad or unpleasant." Dystopia constantly explores the concept of technology going far beyond the control of human hold. Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay"s The Insect is a short story translated from Bengali by Subrata Banerjee. The story revolves around the unimaginable future where every individual is robbed of their unique name and identity, given a mechanical life to be led as directed, and monitored constantly by an electronic insect. The story narrates the encounter between two characters Rikta and Jaba who succeed in breaking away from the monotonous dystopian life. This paper attempts to highlight the dystopian features in the short story. It also attempts to underscore the relative ideologies and hidden concepts in the story.