THE DYSTOPIAN VISION IN BERNARD MALAMUD’S NOVEL GOD’S GRACE

Abstract

This article seeks to analyze the dystopian vision in Bernard Malamud’s final novel God’s Grace (1982). An animal fable and fantasy in itself, the book centers on the last human survivor who interacts with primates, in order to create civilization anew by teaching them language, ethics, science and religion, with a major emphasis on the dualities of good and evil; reason and instinct, and their interconnectedness with free will, choice, and responsibility. The study begins with a short introduction into the history of dystopian literature, whose function is to serve, from a future perspective, as a social and political commentary about existing dark aspects, which can easily take over if not held in check. Then, the analysis probes into the dystopian features of the (covert and overt) totalitarian climate that reigns in the book, due to the human’s control of the animals through the mechanisms of language, culture, science, religion, and sexuality. The utopian society established is short-lived, as the denial of individualism inevitably brings about the primates’ rebellion and the demise of human civilization. Despite being the most pessimistic work of fiction by Malamud, the novel ends with hope, which is the case in many dystopian books.