Nancy Shtarkman
Professor Weimer
Out of all
of the utopian and dystopian works we have read in class, this one was the
creepiest. My eyes were glued to the screen and I didn’t even see the time go
by. Starting from the beginning of the episode, I must say that everything is
symbolic. Everything is digitalized. This could have a connection to the third
industrial revolution that we are currently in. Everyone lives in separate
rooms and instead of being surrounded by regular walls, everyone is surrounded
by computer screens which play the same shows daily. This digitalization is
also symbolic of how dehumanized this society is becoming. These residents have
never been outside, nor have they experienced nice weather. This reminds me of “The
Allegory of the Cave”. All of the people in the cave are accustomed to their
way of life, until one of the people decided to leave the cave and explore.
When the main character, Bing, decides to share his feelings on the society,
this reminds me of the character in the Allegory of the Cave. Both of these
characters weren’t afraid to branch out of their comfort zones and to prove to
themselves what was wrong with society.
Another
character that I can parallel Bing with is John Savage from Brave New World.
Both characters show us that the system in which they are living in cannot be
beat. John Savage attempts to overthrow the system and then ends up succumbing
to it by beating Lenina along with the other residents. The next day, he is
disgusted with himself and he kills himself. In 15 million merits, Bing didn’t
want to escape his monotonous life pedaling away on the bicycle by going on
this show, “Hot Shot”. He wanted to share his thoughts on what was wrong with
this society. During his performance, he took out a piece of glass and
mentioned that he will kill himself if the people don’t let him speak. There is
an attempt at changing society and there is some sort of attempt at harming
oneself, similar to John Savage’s actions. However,
there is a very big difference between these two characters. Bing ends up
accepting the offer of the judges and falls into the trap of the system despite
his efforts to thwart the system. Almost similarly, in Brave New World,
John Savage gives into the system and ends up attacking Lenina when she comes
to visit him in the lighthouse. However, he is disgusted with himself
afterwards. In “15 million merits”, Bing doesn’t seem too disgusted with
himself after he accepts the offer for his own television show. He claims he
will commit suicide with the glass shard if the judges don’t pay him attention,
but once they offer him the chance for a television show, he is engulfed into
the system and he forfeits his initial plan. Although Bing exhibits some
rebellion, as he is speaking out against the system in his television show,
nevertheless, he is still part of the system. John Savage commits suicide to
relieve himself of the influences of the system and this is where the two
characters differ.
Another
parallel can be drawn to Lenina’s character. Although she sees what is wrong
with the people in the Reservation, she decided to forget about it and drink
Soma. By Lenina drinking Soma, she is exhibiting the strength of the system and
showing us that there is no way out. By Bing accepting the requests of the judges
despite his rebellious character throughout the episode, he is showing that
there is no way out of the system. There was another very important scene which
illustrates the idea that there is no way out of this system. Abi drinks her
“compliance” drink before she goes on stage. She didn’t seem too compliant when
the judges asked her to become a porn star. She eventually agreed, however, she
wasn’t kneeling towards this idea. The judge even asked her, “You seem like you
would rather be back on that bike again.” This can be contrasted with Bing and
his decision to opt out of drinking the “compliance” drink. Although he didn’t
drink this drink, he still complied to the system and agreed to have his own
television show. Abi and Bing’s actions with their “compliance” drinks, when
compounded, show us that there is no way out of the system.
There is a
strong correlation between this episode and “The Hunger Games”. All of the
characters in The Hunger Games wear very dull colors to symbolize the
monotonous and dehumanized life they live in their society. The same idea
applies in “15 million merits”. All of the residents wear the same gray sports
suits to show the lack of individuality in the residents. Furthermore, the
dress of the judges is similar to the dress of the judges in “The Hunger Games”.
While all of the residents live an impoverished life, the hosts of the Hunger
Games wear bright and vibrant colors.
They aren’t part of this society because they live a life of luxury. The
same idea applies to the judges in “15 million merits”. They are deciding who
will go on to work in an industry to display their talents instead of pedaling
away on the bicycle every day. Each of the judges wears different and bright
colors. They are separate from the residents in this society.
Another
parallel between “15 million merits” and The Hunger Games is the idea of
instilling entertainment for the other residents, despite how sickening the
entertainment really is. In 15 million merits, Abi, a female singer, goes onto
“Hot Shot”, the equivalent of “America’s Got Talent”, in the hopes of singing
as a professional career. The judges decide that she should be a porn star and
the digitalized audience unanimously decides that she should do it. Although
she seems hesitant, she decides to succumb to the power of the system. Abi’s
reactions and behaviors can be paralleled to those of the main character in the
Hunger Games, Katniss. When Katniss volunteers to be apart of the Hunger Games,
her voice is trembling. However, the crowd goes crazy to cheer her on. The
residents who are drafted into the annual Hunger Games know that there can only
be one winner and eleven losers. Those eleven losers end up being killed.
Although this is a sadistic game, everyone gathers for the “entertainment”.
This idea can be seen in 15 million merits. Although the crowd knows that Abi
wishes to be a singer, they still cheer her on when the judges offer her a
complete opposite alternative, pornography. This pornography will later be
screened by the residents of the society and will serve as entertainment.
“15 million
merits” was one of the most unique television shows I have ever watched. It can
be compared and contrasted to other literature works, such as The Hunger Games
and Brave New World, to name a few. It was a perfect example of how easily
rebellions can be appeased.
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