Most of Levin's other works are primarily acts of great story-
telling, avoiding any great pronouncements about the basic state
of the human race in general. But his novel, This Perfect Day, is a radical
departure. It has often been compared with Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, and George Orwell's
1984. It is not as frightening
as his other works, but it is his most brilliant.
Charles Dickens' novel, Great Expectations, deals with a boy named Phillip Pirrip. But when the lad tried to pronounce his name as a child, it came out 'Pip'. It was a definition of himself that was uniquely his own. Throughout the story he is told that he must always be know as 'Pip'. In This Perfect Day Levin gives us a boy to whom the government has assigned the name Li RM35M4419, but his grandfather calls him 'Chip', like in 'chip off the old block'. In the future world where Chip lives there are only four names for boys and four for girls. But Chip's grandfather wants the boy to retain something that is uniquely his own.
The five computers that once ran the world have been replaced by one - UniComp. UniComp knows everything; where you are, what you are doing, who you should marry, what sort of work you should do, - Everything!
You don't get to make your own decisions and why would you even want to? UniComp knows what's best for you and your decisions could not possibly be as good as those that this all-knowing machine is making in your behalf.
Everyone wears a bracelet. If you want to go somewhere, you hold your bracelet over a scanner and UniComp decides whether or not you will be admitted. UniComp decides what you can and cannot buy. UniComp decides whether or not you'll have children. But sometimes a person wants something that UniComp will not allow. These people are mentally ill but UniComp lovingly repairs their minds.
There are regular drug treatments for everyone, regular visits to counselors, and for those who deviate from the program there are extra treatments, extra visits. In some ways it resembles the Catholic practice of 'confession'. One confesses their sins, says a penance, and receives instruction on how to more closely conform to the behavior that's expected of them.
Today's world resembles Orwell's 1984 in many ways; Cameras everywhere, Big Brother always watching. And of course there are similarities to Huxley's Brave New World. Since our society is heaven on earth, those who are depressed must have some sort of chemical imbalance in their brains. Instead of Huxley's fictional Soma we give them Zuloft. We tell our children not to do drugs, but immediately put them on behavior modifying pills if they are unmanageable.
But This Perfect Day comes closer to describing the world in which now live than the other two novels.
The Surgeon General tells us not to smoke. The National Safety Council and state laws tell us we must wear our seat belts. There is a plan underway to sue the fast food companies for selling us food that the government thinks we ought not to be eating. Our Neighborhood Covenant Committees tell us we may not leave our garage doors open for more than an hour because it attracts thieves. There are neighborhoods that ordain that your house must be painted an 'earth color'. More and more, over the years, decisions that used to be ours, are now made by the government.
In Voltaire's novel Candide, the title character suffered through all sorts of injustices, always smiling, always saying that 'This is the best of all possible worlds'. Only at the very end of the story does Candide realize that 'perhaps this is not the best of all possible worlds. Chip will go on a similar journey but will his conclusion be the same as Candide's? Or will he find that he really does live in 'the best of all possible worlds'.
Is it better to rebel, to risk making mistakes, to be rejected by your friends or is it better to do what everyone else does, fit in, be loved and accepted? Chip lives in world where there are no Hitlers, no Jack-the-Rippers, and no Osama bin Ladens and, surely, that is worth a great deal. But he also lives in a world with no Vincent Van Goghs, no Edgar Allan Poes, and no Lon Chaneys. Levin takes us on an exciting journey that asks what price we are willing to pay for security and individuality. The insights he provides make it one the most unforgettable trips you'll ever embark on. And you will get to do something that is strictly forbidden in Chip's society - think and decide for yourself.
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LEVIN DIRECTORY |
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