Why do these works continue to resonate with contemporary audiences? And above all, how much literary fiction is becoming reality in our world?
In recent years, dystopian novels such as Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, George Orwell’s 1984 and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 have become more relevant than ever. Written at different times, these books describe scenarios of oppression, control and manipulation of the truth that now seem increasingly close to reality.
The politics of control: Orwell and Global Surveillance
George Orwell’s novel 1984, published in 1949, describes a future totalitarian society in which the Party controls all aspects of citizens’ lives through ubiquitous surveillance and constant manipulation of reality. Phrases such as ‘war is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength’ have become symbols of a society in which those in power rewrite reality in order to stay in power.
Another of Orwell’s novels, Animal Farm, allegorically describes how revolutions can degenerate into new forms of oppression. Originally conceived as a critique of Soviet totalitarianism, the book takes on a new dimension today in the context of global political dynamics, where populist movements promise radical change and use it to consolidate their power once in government.
We now live in an age of unprecedented invasion of privacy. Governments and corporations collect massive amounts of personal data through social networks, connected devices and facial recognition technology. Mass surveillance, often justified on security grounds, raises concerns about the degree of real freedom citizens enjoy. This scenario is reminiscent of Orwell’s ‘Ministry of Truth’ strategies, where history is rewritten to serve authority.
A recent example is Donald Trump’s return to the American political scene with a narrative that challenges the election results and fuels a climate of misinformation. His use of platforms such as Truth Social demonstrates how technology can become a weapon for creating parallel information bubbles, where truth is relative and manipulated according to the interests of those in power.
Inequalities, environmental crises, women at risk: The Handmaid’s Tale and The Parable of the Sower
In her novel The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood imagines a future in which the United States becomes the totalitarian theocracy of Gilead, a regime that has institutionalised physical and psychological violence against women, depriving them of their rights and reducing them to mere tools for reproduction. The story transcends the boundaries of gender and becomes a lucid analysis of the dynamics of power and oppression.
By setting the novel in East Berlin in 1984, the author demonstrates that the most effective dystopias are not born of pure fantasy, but of the observation of a historical reality that, unfortunately, is of no use to today’s society.
From fundamentalism to the restrictive policies that have limited women’s reproductive rights in countries such as the United States, Poland and Afghanistan, everything seems to be moving closer to the story of Difred, the slave girl. The overturning of Roe v Wade in 2022 drastically curtailed abortion rights in many parts of the United States, while in Afghanistan women were increasingly excluded from public life under the Taliban regime. The similarities between reality and Atwood’s dystopian world are alarming, highlighting that women’s freedom is still fragile and under threat.
Another equally relevant work is The Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler, which explores the decline of American society in a context of growing inequality, environmental crises and religious fanaticism. Butler imagines a world in which survival becomes an individual struggle and the social structure crumbles, an idea reflected today in growing economic inequality, the climate crisis and political radicalisation.
Censorship and information manipulation: ‘Fahrenheit 451’ and the war on culture
In his 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury describes a society in which books are banned and burned by ‘firemen’ to prevent people from thinking critically. Censorship is a key tool for maintaining control over a population distracted by a constant wave of superficial entertainment.
Even today, censorship and control of information are increasingly widespread realities. In several countries, governments are restricting access to the Internet and to content deemed subversive. Russia and China, for example, exercise heavy censorship over the media and social networks, preventing the dissemination of opinions contrary to the regime. In the United States and Europe, the debate on freedom of expression has intensified following episodes of ‘deplatforming’ of controversial figures by large technology companies. The danger is that censorship, even when motivated by security or political correctness, can become a dangerous weapon against diversity of thought.
An emblematic case is that of Elon Musk, who, after buying Twitter (now X), promoted a policy of ‘absolute freedom of expression’, allowing previously banned people to return to the platform. This has sparked debates about the fine line between freedom of expression and the spread of misinformation. Musk himself has accused governments and corporations of exercising ideological control over social networks, while others have accused him of encouraging polarisation and hatred on the internet, creating a reality that increasingly resembles the one described by Bradbury.
Is the future’s dystopia already here?
The similarities between these dystopian novels and today’s world are disturbing. The dynamics described are no longer fiction. Control, the suppression of rights, the manipulation of information and propaganda characterise the present.
The lesson we can learn from these novels is clear: freedom and rights are not guaranteed forever but must be actively defended. Dystopian fiction is not just entertainment, but a warning against the authoritarian tendencies that societies can adopt. Recognising the signs of the past and the present can help us build a future in which these stories remain works of fiction and not the chronicle of our times.
Complementary activities
Watch the series The Handmaid’s Tale
