Comparing Frankenstein And Anthem, By Pat Frank

Throughout literary history, the science fiction genre has revolved around the concept of time. Whether it be the past, present, or future. Each piece of science fiction uses this trope to help further the plot of the story. The first science fiction novel was written by a young woman named Mary Shelley. This book was “Frankenstein.” Every high school in America teaches this book at some point in their curriculum. In this novel, she uses the present, which was 1818, as her setting. This expanded the realm of what people thought was possible to create with science at that time. She used the setting to influence her readers to think of what could happen in the future by telling what could happen in the present. Another example of a novel that uses the present as a setting is “Alas, Babylon” written by Pat Frank. This novel was released in 1959, near the end of the Cold War between

This concept is used because the future is unknown. There are no rules, no limits, and nothing to hold back the writer’s imagination. Several science fiction novels use this to their advantage. In the novel “Anthem,” written by Ayn Rand in 1937, it never states what year it is set in - only that it is a far away future. In this society, men and women are separated and not allowed to live life freely; every decision is made for them, even their individuality. Another example of this type of time usage is “The Hunger Games” (2008) written by Suzanne Collins. It also is set in a future with no date where 24 children are forced to participate in a fight to the death so that the government can keep control over its people. Each of these novels depicts a world where freedom is no longer an option. The goal of the writers is to show people how bad things could get if we do not pay attention to our governments. If we don’t, things like what happen in these stories could eventually happen to America or any other country in the