Freedom of Speech and Thought

By setting "Elliott Spencer" in a dystopian narrative world, the author is able to explore the ways in which restricting freedom of speech impacts the individual's ability to think freely and independently. In the realm of Room Valiant, first person narrator, Elliott Spencer, also known as Greg or 89, has lost his entire vocabulary. The reader learns in the latter half of the story, that Elliott is just one of many individuals who have been collected by the Program, "blanked-out mentally, then reprogrammed...for propaganda purposes, sans minds of their own" (16). The idea behind Saunders's fictional Program, is that citizens who have failed to live according to basic societal tenets, are offered a chance at a new and more purposeful life. These citizens have their minds Scraped, and then are retaught a rigid set of vocabulary words. By limiting the number of words...