A Dystopian Novel on the Non-Fiction Shelves?
What happens when we allow technology to invade every aspect of our lives? From this questioning, Gish Jen, in her latest book The Resisters, constructs a nightmarish image of an America that has lost two of its main values: liberty and individualism. Acclaimed by critics, and referred to as a “stone-cold masterpiece”, The Resisters is a must-read for anyone interested in examining the dangers of a society overly fascinated by technology and consumerism.
Welcome to AutoAmerica: emails now write themselves to sound just like you, teenagers beg their parents to get implanted MediaChips so they can listen to music without headphones, and you “SpritzGram” the scent of champagne to your friends. On the downside, climate change has crippled the planet to the point of no return, and mass surveillance is the new normal: drones can scan you, read your emotions wherever you are, and even instantly expose your criminal record to strangers. In The Resisters, Gish Jen envisions a world where people have entirely succumbed to the lure of technology, and where Jim Crow has not only been restored, but also “gone digital”. The Autonet, aka “Aunt Nettie,” a mixture of the internet, AI, and surveillance technology, has become the leader of an authoritarian regime where drones, microchips, and even houses track people’s every move; the AutoHouseboats designed for the oppressed “Surplus” population eerily remind its inhabitants on a daily basis that “humans always have a choice,” when in fact, they have anything but.
The Resisters surprisingly turns out to be a reflection on the simple things that make people human, and less so on the terrors of totalitarianism. It focuses on parent-teen relationships, rocky friendships, boyfriends, the college freshman experience, and baseball competitions. Standing at the forefront of the plot is Gwen, a “Surplus” teenager destined to become a baseball star, whose journey is told through her father’s perspective in the first person.
No doubt that in the novel, Dystopian enthusiasts will pick up on much of the spirit that emanates from 1984, Brave New World, and The Handmaid’s Tale. Jen ingeniously coins the language of AutoAmerica with a flurry of web-style neologisms, from “RoboSitters” and “Elderhelpers,” to “VirtualFlix” and “FriendGrams.”
But The Resisters comprises so much more than its high-tech landscape. If you dig deeper, you’ll find a warning against the dangers of an excessively capitalist society, corrupted by rampant socio-economic inequality; The “Surplus” are forced to be incessant consumers, and the ones who are given the opportunity to assimilate into “Netted” society can expect equal treatment as long as they bleach their skin and straighten their frizzy hair with the help of “PermaDerm”. With the forces of modern-day American consumerism stronger than ever, along with the astronomical costs of higher education and the uncurbed power of corporations, the 21st century U.S. could very well be on the path of turning into its evil and apocalyptic counterpart.
Political criticism aside, The Resisters proves to be, above all, a reflection on the meaning of resistance. To Jen, it’s the simple things that matter. In a world where knitting colorful sweaters, growing your own vegetables, and playing baseball is an act of rebellion in itself, readers are inclined to question the criteria of a resister. Can Gwen’s father, Grant, still be deemed a resister after using Aunt Nettie’s intrusive technology to spy on his own daughter? And can Gwen reap the benefits of living among the Netted and still call herself a resister?
The Resisters is a well written, enjoyable, and thought-provoking read. However, Jen spends considerable time detailing the inner intricacies of baseball and too little time developing the adrenaline-fueled final climactic scene, which also happens to take place on a baseball field. While the Resisters might lack suspense, it does compensate with its sophisticated and intelligently crafted AI landscape and a plethora of technological innovations. And while AutoAmerica might stop short of exuding the level of gruesome found in other dystopian realms, it is precisely the nature of this relatively child-friendly dystopia that is unsettling: a world in which happiness co-exists alongside oppression. Jen urges readers to question whether “Nettiefood,” which works to suppress the slightest hints of passion and frustration, is “really so terrible if it makes people feel good”, while at the same time ponder the timeless conundrum: is it better to be happy or free? The ominous message is clear: human beings will lack the motivation to fight for their rights if they have the option to gently rest in their bearable lives or mediocre petty habits. Indeed, one could argue that all the distractions technology offers serve to tame human beings and direct their gaze away from the imperceptible threat of mass surveillance.
Once having finished The Resisters, you might find yourself thinking twice before sharing your personal data from one app to another or clicking “agree” on the endless privacy agreements. But Jen’s novel reminds readers that people willingly choose to make such compromises because the wonders of the internet would be just too painful to give up. The critical question people ought to be asking themselves is whether they will prove capable of becoming resisters, once they realize that technology has overstepped their acceptable moral and ethical threshold. Perhaps it isn’t too late for 21st century America to veer away from its fated dystopian path. The key takeaway from Jen’s novel could be that you don’t need to be a fearless warrior to be deemed a resister. If teenage Gwen can spark a political revolution on the baseball field, anyone can become a resister, whatever that may be.
