Neil Shusterman wrote Unwind, in the novel Shusterman displays the idea of a utopic and dystopic society. Both are prevalant in the book and both give warning to be causious in the society we live in. When the book is finised how can a reader's mind not wander to what if?

The Utopic fucntion of this book is given to the idea that the government has given their idea of utopic society. Here is why, the pro-life supporters and pro-choice supporters can not come to a common ground. So by coming up with a ridiculous solution it seems that they have settled an ongoing disagreement. In doing so, finding a common ground for both sides of the war, they have also given themselves a new way to market items (Marxism) from the children that are unwound by their parents choice. This gives the government and upper hand in making even more money and somehow control the ongoing population that has made scientists/government nervous for centuries. Although we do fight out that there is more to the story than just two side, as the Admiral stated to Connor in air plane. I think the most shocking part of all of the story its that in the harvest camp the leaders treat it as though this is a Utopia, they do not see a wrong in this picture whatsoever. Even the nurses who are around when Roland is unwound barely blink an eye when he says that he hates her. The nurse states its natural to feel that way. How is it that this is one view of a utopic society but in other people's eyes its a dystopia.


The dystopic society is very noticeable since the government has stripped the rights of children in general. They do not consider the children apart of society, so from the time children turn 13 to the age of 18 the children are on the fence about persuading their parents not to unwind them. Living in fear that the ones who raised you and you thought loved you, that they hold your life in the palm of their hand.  We see this present all through the text, with the three characters constantly in the fight of their lives to not be unwond and to hold their lives more precious than before. Even when Connor discovered that his parents signed the order to have him unwound, he ended up acting differently trying to show them that their decision was wrong. Every unwound in this book that runs away is fighting to stay alive and to show that the idea of unwinding is wrong. The problem that I see is that the parents do not even know what it means to be unwound, they just are lead to believe that they are not killing their child. It is very sick and unhumanistic, for a parent to just look the other way, when we barely provide our own dead bodies for other people to survive, parents would sacrifice their children.


I believe what this book has shown reader's is the idea that maybe if society continues along this path that unwinding could potentially be in our future, but I also think that science fiction leads any reader to that frame of mind. But it is clear to see that this book contrasts both ideas of a utopic and dystopic society. Which one is correct is determined by the reader themselves.