Totalitarianism

One of the most salient aspects of the novel’s plot and setting is the totalitarian dystopia that characterizes it; the novel’s portrayal of this dystopia serves to evoke and criticize real-world possibilities regarding totalitarianism. The world of the novel appears largely defined by an unjust police state that is unchecked by any democratic powers. This police rule is enforced by strict surveillance and invasive record-keeping so that citizens can be constantly tracked and controlled. The ironclad nature of this rule is emphasized in the thoughts that Jason has when he wakes up with no personal documentation: “All his identification cards were gone. Cards that made it possible for him to stay alive. Cards that got him through pol and nat barricades without being shot or thrown into a forced-labor camp” (20). The government targets him because he has no documentation, and in this way, the...