Looking Backward - Edward Bellamy - Book Report/Review Example

Labor who used to work in factories had to work long hours. They had to live in the crowed slum near the factories. Weavers and artisans were compelled to work in the factories. Huge problem aroused for the workers related to their wages, unemployment, accidents, family and housing condition. Eventually Labor Union was formed under which the condition of workers and wages improved. New ideas like the laissez-faire or letting business alone crop up. For centuries government had controlled the industry completely.

  But many Englishmen insisted to run the business on the basis of demand and supply than by law. Looking Backward is a novel written by Edward Bellamy during the nineteenth century. In this novel Bellamy’s aim is to educate the people of this century the vices of the social and economic system. Through the plot of the novel Bellamy highlights the social and economic reforms during the author’s time. Bellamy’s utopia mostly caught the attention of the middle and upper class audience because the drastic change in the society and its people took place without the absence of any blood-shed or uprising.

             Julian West, the narrator, is the representative of the nineteenth century who is transported to the twentieth century. Julian criticizes the unequal distribution of the wealth among the people of Bellamy’s days. . The poor people were completely denied education and they were forced to take up whatever job available because of starvation.                Dr. Leete explains to Julian that in the twentieth century the society has gone through a great change in both social an economic domain.

Conditions of the people have vastly improved because of public capital. The nation itself distributes all its capital equally. Government’s main responsibility is to protect the people from poverty and hunger, “we have no war now, and are governments no war powers, but in order to protect every citizen against hunger, cold, and nakedness, and provide for all his physical and mental needs, the function is assumed of directing his industry for a term of years.” (Bellamy 34). Every citizen exerts the same labor and performs their best.

Every worker is designated with a grade, which helps to recognize his or her skills.        Leete also explains that authors can devote their full time in writing because government places the book on sale at the price determined by the author. People gather annual subscription to cover the cost of printing, “be published by the government at the public expense, with government editor, reflecting government opinion.” (Bellamy 100). An editor is elected by the subscriber and he also pays for editor’s maintenance,“ the subscribers to the paper now elect somebody as editor, who, if he accepts the office, is discharged from other service during his incumbency.

Instead of paying a salary to him, as in your day, the subscriber pay the nation an indemnity equal to the cost of his support for taking him away from the general service.” (Bellamy 101). Education is compulsory and free for every citizen till he