Conclusion

'The exceptions are the kids from the wealthier districts, the volunteers, the ones who have been fed and trained throughout their lives for this moment' - The Hunger Games

Developed Dystopian Worlds
https://www.sbs.com.au/guide/article/2016/06/04/dystopian-drama-makes-hunger-games-look-play-school

Rich vs Poor
https://www.marxist.pk/widening-
gulf-between-rich-and-poor
/food-insecurity-rich-vs-poor/

In summary, the role of food in the dystopian genre has progressively expanded since the form was first introduced. Earlier works such as We barely touch on the topic of food, only using the act of eating as a tool to reinforce the basic tropes of the dystopia such as censorship. Over the years writers have engaged more appropriately with the food in a nightmare world, making it a more complex, independent theme. Mainly, food has evolved as an outlet to introduce increased conflict between the civilians of the created society, often helping to indicate advanced societal and political issues while also establishing the effects of the wars which caused the dystopian world's existence. Even within the fantasy genre, dystopian elements are now implemented and food is used as a means to emphasise the formation of societal class.

Bibliography
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Press, 2008. Print.

Exciting Adventures

'When directed at young readers, who are trying to understand the world and their place in it, these dystopian warnings are distilled into exciting adventures with gripping plots.' - Contemporary Dystopian Fiction for Young Adults 

Dystopian fiction is a genre which is widely missed when discussing children's literature. Due to the deep and disturbing themes that usually resonant within the plot of dystopian fiction, it would be extremely difficult to write a novel of this genre appropriate for children. However, many fantasy children's novels have utopia/dystopia elements, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. In the book, Charlie and the other golden ticket holders enter Willy Wonka's magical factory which houses advanced sweet-making technology but, what appears to be a delicious dream world quickly turns into a nightmare as the children begin to disappear in strange manners throughout their tour. Evidently, food plays a large role in this plot especially inside the factory however, it also highlights issues within the general world in which the book is set.

Grandpa Joe Sharing his Cabbage Soup
https://www.bustle.com/articles/111343-25-things-you-
notice-when-you-re-watch-willy-wonka-and-the-chocolate-factory

From the very beginning of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory we see the issue of food discussed, firstly in terms of Charlie's family meals. 'The only meals they could afford were bread and margarine for breakfast, boiled potatoes and cabbage for lunch, and cabbage soup for supper.' (5) This introduction to the food Charlie eats regularly, indicates an issue of poverty within the fantasy world. The issue of poverty is then deepened when the first two golden tickets are found. '...as soon as my little girl told me that she simply had to have one of those Golden Tickets, I went out into the town and started buying up all the Wonka bars I could lay my hands on.' (30) Mr Salt bought thousands of chocolate bars just so his daughter could have a ticket, highlighting a huge gap between the poor and rich of the world; the Buckets can barely afford enough food for them all to survive and yet, the Salt family can afford to buy a ridiculous amount of chocolate bars AND employ a large work force just to sort through the bars to find the ticket. Dahl is gently hinting at a corrupt society in his novel through the lens of food, or perhaps making a comment on our own society. Nevertheless, the story definitely has key dystopian elements shown through food and I believe it reflects more on a problematic future because of the comments on advanced technology; Mr Bucket loses his job at the toothpaste factory as he is replaced by machines.

Mr Bucket's Replacement
https://blog.bigtalker.io/the-future-of-work-job-training-for-humans-50f8fe9be3f3

On the whole, food clearly plays an intrinsic part in forming the story world of this novel not just within the chocolate factory plot line. It suggests societal problems in the fantasy realm which cause conflicts between the inhabitants, similar to that of many works of contemporary dystopian fiction. The underlying technological complications and advancements also convey a dystopian element and closely connects with theme of food.

Bibliography

Basu, Balaka; Broad, Katherine R; Hintz, Carrie. Contemporary Dystopian Fiction for Young Adults. New York: Routledge, 2013. Ebook: Last Accessed 22/11/18.  

https://www.dawsonera.com/readonline/9780203084939 

Dahl, Roald. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. London: Puffin, 2016. Print.

I Would Kill for a Cheesebruger

"I would kill for a cheeseburger. Honestly. If I stumbled across someone eating a cheeseburger, I would kill them for it." - The 5th Wave

https://www.deviantart.com/
adamrabalais/art/Cinematic-Psychopaths-
A-Clockwork-Orange-517574306

Throughout the lifespan of WWII and the nine years of continued rationing that followed, every Brit probably had the same thought as Cassie from The 5th Wave. It was a time before delicious conveniences such as Angels Delight or 'fast food' and it was the era that the writer of A Clockwork Orange, John Burgess grew up in. I believe Burgess' personal experiences with food heavily influenced it's representation within his 1962 dystopia, as well as helping to deepen his future English society by providing an insight into its politics.

Rationing in Post WWII England
https://www.bruceonpolitics.com/
2015/02/17/attlee-starved-british-people/

Food makes its first appearance in the novel during the Droogs only successful 'old surprise visit' in chapter two. While Alex and Dim are inspecting the manuscript 'A Clockwork Orange', 'Georgie and Pete came in from the kitchen... Georgie with like a cold leg of something in one rooker and half a loaf of kleb with a big dollop of maslo on it in the other, and Pete with a bottle of beer frothing it's gulliver off and a horrorshow rookerful of like plum cake.' (28) Both boys beeline immediately for the kitchen when they break into the house; food is at the forefronts of their minds, before sex and violence which suggests the extent of their hunger. This scene probably presents itself to most readers as an emphasised manifestation of the youths greed however, when compared with the description of the dinner prepared for the protagonist Alex at home, it is clear both scenes may have a deeper significance. '... mum had laid out on the table my malenky bit of supper - a couple of lomticks of tinned spongemeat with a shive or so of kleb and butter, a glass of the old cold moloko.' (38) The opposing use of the Nadsat language in these scenes is immediately apparent, with Alex describing the amount of food Georgie and Pete took as 'rookerful' meaning they either had an arm or handful opposed to Alex's 'malenky' bit of supper which translates to mean he had little to eat. The upper-class owners of the house which the gang invade have an entire loaf of bread and legs of meat whereas at home for dinner Alex is provided with a mere slice of bread and tinned 'spongemeat' as he describes. The dissimilarity between the quantity and quality of food that the different households retain highlights an issue with social class within the world; Alex's family live on tinned meats, bread and milk whereas, the richer members of the civilisation feast on animal limbs and alcohol. This heavily resembles the history of rationing in Britain and represents key political issues within the utilitarian society Burgess is creating.

Alex's Far From British Supper 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cZ2BUyLgUk

Comparatively, the 1971 film adaption lacks many of the original food scenes from the novel. One of the only two scenes depicting Alex eating is severely Americanised, with the chai tea, eggs, ham and sausages the wealthy writer cooks for him being replaced with red wine and spaghetti. This not only erases the context behind the food in the novel but in my opinion, renders food within the film a meaningless aside similar to that of earlier dystopian novels like We. 

The novel on the other hand, successfully uses food to strengthen the dystopia; by contrasting Alex's meals with that of the wealthy homeowners he and his Droogs insist on harassing, Burgess highlights the issues with politics and social class in England at the time the text was written as well as within  the fictional England he constructed.

Bibliography
Burgess, Anthony. A Clockwork Orange. London: Penguin Classics, 2013. Print.
Yancey, Rick. The 5th Wave. London: Penguin, 2013. Print.

Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." - Animal Farm 

As the dystopia genre develops throughout time, the structure of the totalitarian society evolves alongside. Rather than citizens enduring mutual suffering, often in modern works the writer will create boundaries between different members of the civilisation, leading to infighting and endless complications. One novel which is particularly successful in demonstrating this progression of subplot is The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and coincidentally, a leading theme conveying this conflict is food.

The handmaid's house has significant similarities to a Victorian household in terms of meals; social classes determine the cuisine and routine. "In my stomach the food balls itself together, a handful of damp cardboard, squeezed. Downstairs, in the dining room, there will be candles on the large mahogany table, a white cloth, silver, flowers, wine glasses with wine in them." (76) Atwood's description of the Offred's food as 'a handful of damp cardboard' emphasises how unappetising her meal is and how little she is given. The depiction of the simultaneous meal being eaten downstairs creates a clever juxtaposition, contrasting the difference between the experience of supper for the two different women of the house; the wife and the handmaiden.

The Commander's Feast 
https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2017/07/05/blessed-be-fruit

Damp Cardboard
https://www.radiotimes.com/tv-programme/e/gjy7xc/the-handmaids-tale--s2-e6-first-blood/

Blessed Be the Fruit
https://www.foodandwine.com/news/
handmaids-tale-season-one-recap-food-moments 

Another way food helps to deepen the dystopia is through a focus on the lack of certain ingredients. "I see they have oranges today. Ever since Central America was lost to the Libertheos, oranges have been hard to get..." (35) Here, Atwood informs us of the absence of certain items of food due to the war, showing that the constraints of Gilead stretch beyond a totalitarian regime. The issue of class is also suggested in the adaption of this scene for television.When Offred has no tokens for oranges, a fellow handmaiden states "Tell them you're Commander Waterford's. He's really high up, his names on the news." The handmaid is suggesting that Offred can take whatever she wishes from the grocery store because of her household, implying the power of class and authority within the imagined realm. Furthermore, she is insinuating that Offred is owned by the commander which understandably increases the protagonists sense of dread, leading to arguably the most famous quote from the series "I don't need oranges. I need to scream." However, it is important to note the difference between the restrictions of the grocery store in the novel and TV adaption, as the novel describes the shopping experience as far more controlled with queues of pairs and Guardian's handing the women all the ingredients needed.

All things considered, Atwood successfully showcases a range of comprehensive dystopian themes through food, from strict social hierarchies to the effects of war. The television adaption also addresses these subjects well through character dialogue, although the changes aesthetically in key food scenes are in my opinion, disappointing.

Bibliography 
Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. London: Vintage Classics, 2017. Print.
Orwell, George. Animal Farm. London: Penguin Classics, 2000. Print

Begin at the Beginning

"Begin at the beginning," the King said, very gravely, "and go on till you come to the end: then stop." - Alice in Wonderland

One State 
http://www.foresightinhindsight.com/article/show/280 

In accordance with Lewis Carroll's very own dystopia, my opening post will be examining the novel that is believed to be the first of its kind, We by Yevgeny Zamyatin. We is recognised as an essential work in the construction of dystopian genre, as well as being an iconic work of science fiction. Yet, food is not a key theme in Zamyatin's totalitarian world, in fact far from it. Throughout the length of the novel he barely touches on the subject of food, making references to the protagonist eating only twice. Once, at the start of the novel we are introduced to the 'petroleum food' (22) prescribed by One State to every number, which immediately implies that food is seen as merely a necessity for the sustainability of human life, such as oil with a machine, rather than a pleasurable or social experience, which is reinforced by One State's moto "Love and hunger rule the world." (21)

Petroleum - Food or Fuel
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/
childrens-snacks-petroleum/ 

Furthermore, D-503 comments that the chemical composition of bread is unknown to them in this future world, suggesting that food is an instrument in the theme of censorship; with a lack of literature, D-503 even expresses that he cannot decide if a banana is edible. Additionally, Zamyatin uses food to reinforce the motif of mechanisation, with every number eating simultaneously and completing the compulsory "fifty statutory chews for each mouthful." (99) This required regime for eating enforces the idea of lack of individuality and freedom in the dystopia. Each number is reduced to nothing more than a replaceable cog in the larger One State machine.

In conclusion, We indicates that food was seen as an aside during the birth of the dystopia, implemented only as a mandatory component of fiction to bolster underlying arguments and themes.

Bibliography
Carrol, Lewis. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. London: Ostrich Books, 2015. Print.
Zamyatin, Yevgeny. We. London: Penguin Classics, 1993. Print.