Bellamy’s goal in writing Looking Backwards was chiefly to push forward his socialist beliefs. Based on the popularity of his work it is fair to say that he succeeded. He accomplished this by portraying a society that has shared capitol, while also not restricting individual freedoms. This was the key point that inspired the creation of nationalist political groups. In the nineteenth century, socialism was something that inspired worry in capitalistic societies. Despite this, Bellamy was able to successfully push his ideals by presenting them in a relatable way for his audience. Julian serves as the conduit for this by being an outsider in this society just as the reader is.

Bellamy also makes his ideas more palatable for his readers by including the sexism that was present during the nineteenth century. In his utopian world, women’s rights remain restricted. Each gender elects their own leaders, but men are the only ones capable of retaining the office of presidency. While women and men receive the same amount of credit each year, men remain fundamentally in control.

Bellamy also supports his ideas by pointing out positive changes in society. Equal opportunity for education and work practically eliminate crime from society. Also, with every job offering the same monetary gains, people choose jobs best suited for their skills. A direct result of this is the progression of art and literature, as the only factor dictating an artist’s success is talent.

Based on the world response to this novel, Bellamy was successful in his presentation of his views by fitting it to his audiences beliefs.

In Looking Backward: 2000-1887, Edward Bellamy proposes some radical changes to society to promote equity among the citizens of the United States. Bellamy realized the radicalism of his ideas and attempted to soften his tone by appealing to some aspects of nineteenth-century elite society. One group of people largely missing from the novel, except for a brief description towards the end, is women. While Bellamy credits his utopian society with creating economic equality between men and women, his nineteenth-century ideas of gender taint his view of the role of women in the “advanced” nation.

Dr. Leete, who represents the voice of Bellamy, explains to Julian everyone is assigned a task based on what occupation best applies to them. Dr. Leete states, “Women being inferior in strength to men, and further disqualified industrially in special ways, the kinds of occupation reserved for them, and the conditions under which they pursue them, have reference to these facts” (151). This statement from Dr. Leete reflects a nineteenth-century belief in the fragility of womanhood, where women could not perform the same laborious tasks as men. In the year 2000, an assumed inequality between the sexes still exists.

In the utopian society, the highest respected women are wives and not mothers, not single women who excel at their jobs. “For the rest, so far is marriage from being an interference with a woman’s career,” Dr. Leete informs Julian, “that the higher positions in the feminine army of industry are intrusted only to women who have been both wives and mothers, as they alone fully represent their sex” (153). The society still values motherhood and domesticity as the most important function for women. While the women achieved economic equality, it appears there societal equality is still lacking. This problem may stem from Bellamy’s firm belief that the driving force of inequality is economic in nature.

Julian West, the narrator of this novel, was born into a wealthy aristocratic family in 19th century Boston. An insomniac, he built a sleeping chamber beneath his house to block out the various loud or distracting noises of the city streets. One night, a skilled mesmerist named Doctor Pillsbury assisted him in falling asleep. Julian’s house burns down while he was asleep, but is protected by his underground chamber. At the time, he was assumed to have died in the fire. A century later, Julian is discovered by Doctor Leete, who was preparing the site for the construction of a laboratory. Julian did not age at all due to being in suspended animation. He found himself in an entirely new and different world; this world no war and no poverty. With the help of Doctor Leete, Julian learns how these problems and conflicts were solved. Leete explains to him that the economy is based on the public instead of private capital. In comparison to the 19th century, the new world is an astonishing utopia to Julian. Everyone lives with  higher standards, technology is more advanced, and the economy is much more efficient than the one that Julian was used to.

A question to consider: What would the world seem like to us if we went back in time from 2018 to 1887?

Edward Bellamy’s “Looking Backward” is a story of a man named Julian, who lives in a time where there is an serious wealth gap. Coming from an upper class household, he initially thinks of himself as superior to the common man. After his house burns down, he is left in a deep sleep for 113 years until he is awoken in 2000. He wakes up to a completely different society, where everyone is treated equally. It closely represents socialism because everything is publicly owned by the government, unlike the private ownership he is familiar with. He witnessed a non-competitive job market with equal pay and standard hours, in which all employees are expected to do the same workload. The national wealth is communal amongst Americans; every citizen receives a credit card for modest spending, but those with excessive spending habits are penalized. I found that this type of governing would suppress the belief that America the land of opportunity. Even though it can rid of poverty and hunger, it would eliminate any rewards for hard work. There is no longer a drive for innovation and it limits the potential of society as a whole. It also means that companies cannot access cheap labor overseas. Companies are limited to growth and the GDP will likely stay stagnant, which means that the communal income will not grow like a competitive market. People would see minimal benefits throughout their lifetime.

Looking Backwards 2000 – 1887 by Edward Bellamy is fittingly enough, a great window for us to see a snapshot of culture and politics of the tail end of the 19^th century/ beginning of the 20^th century. While many of the other books that we have read this term such as Uncle Tom’s Cabin were political in nature, Looking Backwards is far more politics then it is narrative. The vast majority of the book is just Bellamy expressing how great the world would be under his Cristian socialist ideas and exposition about the world far exceed other more narrative based elements. The world Bellamy envisioned is one where industry and technology combined with socialism and cooperation have created a utopia. This utopian and pro-technology world was quite popular at the time as the late 19^th century technological boom and the rise in utopian ideologies such as communism and anarchism caused many to believe that utopia was just around the corner. Unfortunately, these dreams would be crushed after the world wars when the world saw the failure of utopian ideologies and the pain and destruction that technology could cause. Because of this, the world described in Looking Backwards becomes less a promise for the future and more of a window to the ideas of the past. one question I have is if Bellamy ever thought that people would be reflecting on his work 18 years after the future date his novel was set and could he ever have even imagined the world that we live in now?

Like other texts we have read this term, Edward Bellamy’s Looking Backward offers some insight into the social milieu of his era – in this case, the late 19^th century.  Extraordinary change had taken place since the Civil War; this change can be perceived as progress for it certainly was that.  However, along with the progress of the “Gilded Age” (as it was known) came consequences, which were rarely beneficial for all.  Industrialization and economic growth had made the United States one of the wealthiest nations in the world; however, that wealth was hardly equally (or equitably) distributed.  The urbanization which accompanied industrialization exacerbated already existing urban social problems (overcrowding, crime, violence, alcoholism, and etc.) which in turn were aggravated by exploding immigrant populations, who were welcomed by industry to some extent; but, often viewed as threatening and, consequently, abused and debased by natives. The kind of progress endured by Americans in the late 19^th century often fostered inequality, dependence, and unnecessary waste.

Bellamy was among those who viewed these changes with suspicion; it was not progress, which should be orderly and equitable, but a kind of chaos, which was ultimately destabilizing and destructive. With proper planning, however, chaos could be conquered; order could be restored.  The world of Dr. Leete promised such a restoration; a world in which common sense triumphed and the promised right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” was realized.  In considering the world created for Julian West, I am reminded of the constant conflict between Natty Bumppo and Judge Temple; the former a rugged individual for whom order was restrictive to personal achievement, and the latter a communitarian for whom order was necessary for social harmony.  As well, I am reminded of life in the United States today where the desire for easy solutions to complicated issues loses sight of the reality of a complex social and political order begotten to us by our founding generation.

Those who embraced Bellamy’s ideas – and there were many – found comfort in the concept of an already-existing well-ordered society, as imaged in Looking Backward; nevertheless, they did not fully consider the  ideological cost to achieve that kind of society – or even if it was achievable or, for that matter, desirable.

Denis Brennan

The Red Badge of Courage entails the journey of a young Union soldier in the Civil War. In this book the main character Henry Fleming seeks to become a hero during the war. Although Henry is a young inexperienced soldier he wants to prove courageous in the face of his fear. However, as the reader travels with Henry on his journey it becomes apparent that he is initially a coward. For instance, once the Union army first encountered the enemy Henry gets scared and runs for the hills. Afterwards he attempts to justify his decision and claims it was a natural instinct of survival to run away. However, after fleeing the battlefield Henry is immensely filled with guilt. Henry feels that he cannot be a real man without proving his valor on the battlefield.

Masculinity and courage are two intertwined themes that dictate Henry Flemings career in the army. After witnessing the horrors of war Henry eventually changes his mentality and decides to fight back. The combination of guilt and emasculation helped Henry transform himself into the soldier he initially wanted to be. When the battle was over Henry reflects that he has become a man who has survived the horrors of war.

In The Red Badge of Courage Stephen Crane explores the psychological battles during war and shows the reality of war. The novel follows the emotional trajectory of Henry Fleming as he strains to cope with guilt. Crane reveals a realistic look at war with shows the horror, boredom, and injustice of war. This portrayal is so graphic that this book is considered as anti-war.

After reading Red Badge of Courage, I noticed that Henry had interesting motives for fighting in the Civil War. He wanted to fight as a way to feel a sense of respect and glory. He thought that his participation would allow him to prove himself and appear important. His motives for fighting the war represented a young and immature individual. He wanted to come back as a hero, so he made alterations to the stories he told; many were exaggerated and some complete lies. He wanted people to see him as a brave soldier, who was active in the war. Stephen Crane pointed out how battle is dangerous and taxing on a soldier; I do not think that he saw enough reasons for soldiers to fight. Henry was an example of a Union soldier that was fighting for the wrong reasons. He surprised me when he wished for the “red badge of courage” to prove his participation and that he sacrificed himself for the war; this is a childish and foolish request. He felt a sense of guilt and inferiority to these soldiers because they risked their lives for the union. He felt like a coward and regretted running away.

Throughout Red Badge of Courage, we see our protagonist Henry (who is more often than not referred to simply as “the young soldier”) mature due to his experience in the American civil war. At the start of the book, Henry is what can best be described as an angsty teenager. He joins the army not out of patriotism or a sense of responsibility but rather for excitement and admiration from others. His beliefs and opinions constantly change depending on his circumstance.  For example, how he feels about himself after he runs from the first battle alternates between a sense of superiority to a sense of guild depending on how he thinks the battle is going. Henry is also incredibly unsure of himself and whether or not he is brave enough to stand and fight when needed. However, as the story continues and Henry experiences the trials and tribulations of war, he grows as a person and truly becomes a man, able to face death and suffering and come out the other side standing.  To quote the last page of the book, “With this conviction came a store of assurance. He felt a quiet manhood, nonassertive but of sturdy and strong blood. He knew that he would no more quail before his guides wherever they should point. He had been to touch the great death, and found that, after all, it was but the great death. He was a man”(118). This narrative of manhood through combat stands in contrast to other anti-war messages found in the book.

The Red Badge of Courage describes the story of Henry Fleming, who joined the Union Army as the only child of his family for his pursuit of the badge. The book focused on the individual feelings of war during the Civil War period, and it showed Henry’s psychological change from naivete to maturity through various incidents. Despite the fact that Stephen Crane did not have the experience of actually participating the war, he did a great job portraying the reality of war , as well as how a single solider developed his mental status after running away from the field of battle, and redeemed himself after and formed a new understanding of the badge.

Henry’s psychological feelings of the badge can be divided into several parts as “the ideal idea of the badge”,  “running away from the badge”, “regaining the pursuit of the the badge”, “getting a fake badge” and eventually getting the “true badge”. The story started with the teenager Henry,  who worshiped the badge without knowing the reality and cruelty of war at the beginning, joining the Union Army after his mother’s discouragement. When Henry actually joined the army, he started to feel scared, confused to the war, and his ideal idea of the badge was challenged. As the result, he flea from the battle field, and later rejoined the war with an incredible madness/enthusiasm. As a ordinary teenager who had strong pursuit of the badge and being a hero, Henry developed himself from naivete to maturity and eventually grew up as a real man. There were changes in Henry’s thoughts, but his pursuit of the badge never changed.