Comparing Flawed By Ahern And Hautman

Justice Has Not Been Served

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This quote by Martin Luther King Jr. discusses the issue of influence amongst countries throughout the world. If an act of mistreatment is exposed to the public, it manipulates the opinions of the innocent, causing widespread havoc. Humans are dealing with this dilemma today, but the realm of literature is dealing with it as well. The protagonists of the dystopian texts Flawed by Cecelia Ahern and Rash by Pete Hautman are victims of nefarious social classes, and both are isolated from society for their own good.

In these books, the Guild and the USSA enforce strict social classes that determine the roles of citizens in society. The government

They still live among us, but are ostracized by society, having to live under separate rules” (5). In other words, the Flawed have curfews, specific diets, and are restricted to the Flawed section of the grocery store. Before all of this, the Flawed must be branded so that the Flawless know who are in their class and who are not. This helps the Flawless to avoid alliances with those who are worth less than themselves. Similarly, Bo, the main character in Rash, is sent to a labor camp at McDonald's Rehabilitation and Manufacturing Corporation. Since he has broken the law, the USSA decides to put him into a lower class than his friends and family. After rigorous tests, the prisoners are further separated into the regular workers and the Goldshirts. The Goldshirts are superior to the other offenders. “They get special privileges...They get good food. And they only work 40 hours a week” (108). Thus, the Goldshirts are ordinary laborers, until their life changes when they become Goldshirts. In a like manner, the Flawed are average citizens until their life changes when they become Flawed. The issue

Celestine is dubbed Flawed, which results in her obtaining six brands. Once Celestine is branded, she is in so much pain that she is confined to her bed for days. Eventually, she tries to return to school, but none of her teachers are willing to teach a Flawed student. Therefore, she is sent back home to be segregated once again. In fact, Celestine cannot even go outside without microphones shoved down her throat. Being the poster girl for both the Flawed and the Flawless requires being sundered from everyday life. Likewise, Bo is physically banished from his hometown as punishment for breaking the law. “We hadn’t been told we were being sent halfway to the North Pole,” (88). His labor camp is located in the middle of nowhere, with carnivorous polar bears roaming the open tundra. Not only is Bo situated away from society, but he also lacks the quotidian technology of the USSA. This includes proper safety equipment, daily medicine, etc. To be concise, Bo is a lone wolf dealing with a world of unknown. The concept of isolating the protagonist from nature that is present in both dystopias shows that society has trouble dealing with their criminals. The government assumes that cutting citizens out of the public will help them think about their mistakes. In reality, this is done as a last resort; the leaders are blind to other solutions. The authors in both