Topic > The Dystopian Society in “Super Sad True Love Story”

In the novel Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart we are presented with a dystopian society that is eerily similar to our current United States of America. The story revolves around the complicated and paradoxical relationship between Lenny Abramov and Eunice Park. Lenny is an old soul lost in a fast-moving society, yet Eunice is the typical insecure young woman lost in her own conscience. The novel has a melancholic atmosphere because the country is in total chaos. The aspects shown in the story are similar to our society and do not represent progress. However, this story should be a warning sign of things to come if we continue on the path we are on. What forces led to the dystopian society, and how can today's America avoid it? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Lack of privacy is a common theme throughout the novel. However, it is also one of the vital components of the country's demise. In our society, we have social media accounts through which we can send messages and advertise our photos. However, we control who sees it, but we have the option not to use them at all. In the future, people in the dystopian society carry with them devices that show every single thing about themselves. Whether it's how you compare in terms of looks or how good you are financially, everyone knows because there is no privacy. “The girl across the bar laughed…a bunch of numbers appeared on my screen: “fuckability 780/800, personality 800/800, anal/oral/vaginal preference 1/3/2” (89 Shteyngart). thinking about people is the means through which a person comes to be and “communicate”. Throughout the story Lenny many times depicts Eunice Park looking at her apparatus when things get awkward and uncomfortable. Indeed, in today's world there is a parallel to our attachment to our phones. Usually, it's relatively rare to attend a social event without someone on the phone. The telephone and the Apparat are islands from which one escapes, avoiding the discomfort of being with unknown people. Both of these devices are used to communicate or be "social", but they do exactly the opposite. It is not sociable to interact with others on media like Noah does while hanging out with his best friends with Vishnu and Lenny. Lenny describes Noah's antisocial behavior: "With that stupid, inescapable smile, those burning teeth, that stringy, lying mouth, those glitters... he turned the camera towards me to record my awkward arrival... I said hello to Noah, and then hesitantly his apparatus” (Shteyngart 83). Lenny is an old soul in a fast-moving progressive society. He realizes the evils of the apparatus and the reader gets the feeling that he does not like living in this superficial society. Today people are starting to realize the damage that the smartphone has done to their way of being. Everything was quick and easy to get, but when something is not quick and easy to get, we feel exacerbated quickly our devices to the point that it is no longer possible to do without them on a daily basis. However, realizing this is the first step to solving the problem of our superficial society. FAC and Rate me plus are other extreme examples of the lack of privacy in Gary's future society Shteyngart. FAC and Rate me plus are how people can find out how they feel about each other sexually without their consent, as stated when Vishnu describes FAC to Lenny “you look at a girl. The Emotepad detects any change in blood pressure. This tells her how much you want to do to her” (Shteyngart 88). Whatanyone thinks of you as a person is none of your business unless they tell you directly. In both the present and future of Shteyngart, people have become so insecure that they have created applications like Tinder and FAC. The development of these applications leads people to try to become what others want them to be. Furthermore, this is not sustainable and will, at some point, self-destruct, as shown at the end of the novel. Here, corruption emanating from the bipartisan party and the ARA has led to America's future collapse. The government's responsibility is to protect and serve its people. However, in both societies, this concept is simply out of date. In today's world, government has its role in national healthcare, gun policies, lending, and more. The hands of the government that influence the daily lives of its citizens will eventually fall due to the lack of integrity in politics. The bipartisan party led by Secretary of State Rubenstein serves as a puppet for the American people. When Chinese aristocrats arrive in the United States, he must make sure that America's image doesn't look set to collapse in the next week. Government practices call it “harm reduction,” for example, when LNWIs are removed from Central Park, because Chinese people would see them on their way back from the airport. “They don't want the Chinese banker to see no poor people on the street.” the road from the airport. Make us look bad” (Shteyngart 106). When people realized the failures of the government, they began to fight the system. For example, people were promised new pensions after serving in Venezuela, but this was not the case when they arrived. However, throughout history, when things go wrong, people and the state go through 4 main stages, and they are fully visible in future society. First, they hold simple protest marches in the streets, as the National Guardsmen did on the Mall in Washington DC. Afterwards, people gather in major public areas to show their anger, as the National Guardsmen did along with the Low Net Worth Individuals. Third, the police get involved by imposing mass arrests and using brutal force, as shown when Aziz the bus driver was protesting in Central Park. In fact, Eunice and Lenny had met him before, “…the unemployed bus driver Eunice and I had seen on Cedar Hill…had a stitch-sized spot punched into the upper half of his elongated brown forehead. .. the eyes had turned their sockets” (Shteyngart 156). Finally, the army flexes its muscles to show who is in charge However, it is amply shown when the JFK ferry was blown up by a helicopter while Noah was at edge" ”A single crow appeared above Noah and Amy's boat. He lowered his golden beak, and his golden beak turned orange… John F Kennedy reared up, split in two…” (Shteyngart 248). Furthermore, from this moment on the government and society are in total disarray. our government cannot continue its self-destruction, otherwise it will end up as Shteyngart's representation of America. The social structure presented in the novel consists of only two classes called High Net Worth Individuals and Low Net Worth Individuals there is no real resemblance to a middle class. America no longer produces anything, the economy is based on retail, media and credit, while nowadays we produce oil, cars, food, etc. Even socially, looking young or having money is the only thing to be someone, so America is at its lowest point economically and at its highest in terms of superficiality..