One of my favorite genres of fiction is utopian/dystopian fiction. Such creative pieces of work that explore the wonders and horrors of social, political, and economic structures capture my attention, leaving me satisfied and wanting more.
I recently read the 1951 post-apocalyptical novel, The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham. It is a classic and has received critical acclaim as one of the best science-fiction horror novels of all time. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who wants to read a story about a species of flesh-eating plants who are out to destroy humanity.
The Day of the Triffids
All plants move. And triffids are plants. But they don’t only move. They walk. And are carnivorous. And are set on a path to destroy humanity.
Here is short (spoiler-free) summary of the book: Most humans have been blinded by a meteor. There are a few sighted humans remaining though, including triffid expert Bill Masen. The story follows Masen and his navigation of a world where triffids start taking over the world.
But where exactly have the triffids come from? There are several theories, one being that they were bioengineered by the USSR and accidently let out to the environment. The triffids have high value because of the oil they produce, making it a lucrative commodity. Unfortunately, the trade of triffids goes out of hand and these plants develop the ability to walk and start attacking humans.
The genres of dystopian fiction and science fiction often hold many valid truths of society. They challenge social, political, and economic structures. They are also pre-cursors to future possibilities. My subject areas are the social sciences and humanities. In my classes, we focus on the varied opportunities and challenges that individuals and societies have with each other and with nature. And The Day of the Triffids shows the horrors that could happen if nature takes its vengeance on humanity. On reading the book, a few specific themes struck out to me.
Theme 1: Human Impact on the Environment
The story is peppered with instances of humanity not only impacting but interfering with the environment. Genetic engineering leads to the man-made creation of the triffids. As humans need alternative fuel sources to ween off coal, the triffids provide high quality oil. The triffids turn out to be an invasive species who do not belong on Earth yet have been put there without their human lords understanding the forthcoming consequences. This seemingly human ingenuity reflects the collective human incapacity to understand that we have an impact on the environment. So, our desire for progress and betterment ultimately leads to a slow but inevitable demise of the once perfect and untouched nature.
Theme 2: Morality and Inequality
The Day of the Triffids sees a world of haves and have nots, but in a very crude way. Most of the world’s population cannot see, while a minority can. The sense of sight is a crucial one that gives autonomy, independence, and social power in such a fundamental way. By losing their sense of sight the blind become dependent on those with the ability to see, and with little ability to influence things around them. This is inequality outcome as well as opportunity, which leads to certain ethical questions too. Should the sighed help the blind? This is a question that conflicts Masen, the protagonist of the novel, throughout the course of the book.
Theme 3: Anarchy and Despotism
A final overarching theme that The Day of the Triffids explores is social and political structures. With a world reduced to pockets of communities fending for themselves, we different social groups emerge. We have a religious fanatic who leads group of Christians to help all the blind. We have armed and dangerous groups who create safeguards for themselves, raiding nearby towns for supplies whenever they please. We have self-appointed governments who have unilaterally decided to take control. When there is anarchy, there are often attempt at reestablishing leadership and power structures, as seen in the book.
Authentic Sustainability
There are several key ideas of The Day of the Triffids. With several challenges related to population growth, resource consumption and climate change, we need to reconsider our methods of production and consumption. The capitalist objective of constant and never-ending growth is, by virtue, unsustainable. The solution is authentic sustainability where we avoid playing God with nature. Because doing so could lead to disastrous consequences.