Travel in Dystopias
One of the features I particularly associate with dystopian worlds is the degree to which travel is restricted. In our modern society, (if you can afford it) one can take a plane, boat, or car to just about anywhere in the world. A thousand years ago, a commoner would only travel as far as they could walk. That ability to travel is something we really take for granted as members of our modern society, and so its breakdown is one of the most obvious signs that a society is failing. Whether through the Oppressive governments of BNW and 1984, or the anarchy of Parable. While it's something we have grown up and spent our whole lives in, that freedom of movement is one of the most fragile aspects of our world, and seeing it crumble is one of the more subtly horrifying aspects of these novels.
Excellent point -- and highly relevant. We DO take mobility for granted (if we have it). Maybe this is something we forget about, too, because ironically we *don't* tend to walk places any more (especially in the U.S., with its massive focus on cars). We rely on external means; cut those means off, and we're helpless.
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