Ecotopia

“My assignment for the next six weeks, therefore, is to explore Ecotopian life from top to bottom—to search out the realities behind the rumors, to describe in concrete detail how Ecotopian society actually operates, to document its problems and, where that is called for, to acknowledge its achievements. By direct knowledge of the situation in which our former fellow-citizens now find themselves, we may even begin to rebuild the ties that once bound them to the Union they so hastily rejected. 

This last paragraph of Weston’s first column gives us a good sense of the more formal writing of his articles, as well as makes us aware of how he bends his rhetoric toward his American audience. This passage reveals a rather overt bias against Ecotopia by not qualifying the idea that there must be “problems” inherent in Ecotopia and only begrudgingly admitting there could be “achievements.” However, even if begrudging, this paragraph also reveals that Weston is at least somewhat open-minded heading into this assignment, an important character trait. This quote also reveals his underlying mission: floating the idea of renewed ties and possible reunification, which becomes important especially later in the novel, when he meets with President Allwen.

“You’re a writer. We count on you to use words carefully while you’re here. If you come back this way, maybe you’ll be able to use that word ‘friend’ in good faith. We’d like that.”

This passage comes from Weston’s first interaction with an actual Ecotopian and illustrates an important attitude Ecotopians cultivate with their fellow citizens, whether in a service position or not: people should be treated as people, not as commodities or means to an end. This is also the first time Weston’s position as a journalist, and what that should mean, are challenged in the novel.

“Ecotopians, I am discovering, spout statistics on such questions with reckless abandon. They have a way of introducing ‘social costs’ into their calculations which inevitably involves a certain amount of optimistic guesswork.” 

Here we see an important contrast between Ecotopian ideals and those typically ascribed to Americans, in which Ecotopians think not only of profit, but also of ecological and societal impacts, including on future generations, which cannot, in the Ecotopian perception, be ignored. We also see the knowledgeability of the citizenry which foregrounds the later discussions of Ecotopia’s educational system, and which Callenbach seems to contrast with the prototypical American citizen.

“Actually, [Bad Practice lists] aren’t enforced at all. They’re a mechanism for moral persuasion, you might say. But they’re purely informal.” 

Just before this passage, Weston thinks to himself that he has found “a large and rather totalitarian rat” at the core of and Ecotopian ideal, while in conversation with the Assistant Minister of Food, regarding what seem to be federally-banned practices (19). This is the Assistant Minister’s reply, providing a moment of disappointment of Weston’s expectations. Once again, this passage serves to illustrate the preconceived notions Weston has that establish his character and make visible the eventual shift he undergoes toward the Ecotopian way of thinking. This passage also reveals the aversion Ecotopians have to hierarchical systems of governing.

“The system provides the stability, and we can be erratic within it. I mean we don’t try to be perfect, we just try to be okay on the average—which means adding up a bunch of ups and downs.” 

In this passage, Bert Luckman is speaking to Weston, regarding the idea of the stable state, though not purely in the ecological sense, but also in a more human, personal sense. Just like there are ups and downs with Ecotopians’ attempts at conservation, the people within Ecotopia allow themselves more emotional volatility, seeing this as closer to human nature, as opposed to trying to impose artificial controls on that nature (which, Bert seems to be implying, Americans typically do).

“I fell on her as if I were falling freely through the soft air from a great height, through darkness, my reportorial self floating away.” 

This quote comes from the journal entry in which Weston first meets Marissa Brightcloud. The lyrical, poetic nature of the language at this point, as they are making love, indicates an important stylistic shift in the novel, one that only occurs a handful of times, away from the reportorial—seen here figuratively “floating away.” This tonal shift also reveals the deep, abiding impact this meeting with Marissa has on Weston, impacting even his use of language after the fact, as he writes the experience down, which in turn foreshadows Weston’s later acceptance of Ecotopia as his home.

“These Ecotopians are not so easy-going as they look. And to tell the truth, it relieves my mind—don’t much like those people.” 

Here we see Weston finding common ground with Ecotopians in some way, albeit their counterintelligence. This foreshadows not only Weston’s eventual full acceptance of Ecotopia, but also that the two peoples may indeed have more in common than it may seem at first blush. The national strength the counterintelligence represents here comes up again later in the context of resources, and how weaker nations historically tend to be overrun by stronger neighbors—a fate Ecotopia wished to avoid. 

“Almost anything can be [fun], if you keep your eye on the process and not the goal.” 

Here, Bert is talking to Weston as they are cleaning up after dinner. This is during Weston’s introduction into what communal living in Ecotopia looks like and serves as an important microcosm of the Ecotopian outlook on life. In the Ecotopian perception, both work and play should be fun, so that work does not become a soul-sucking hurdle to be vaulted. This also recalls the idea of incremental changes in order to accomplish radical goals that the history of Ecotopian secession exemplifies. 

“There’s no denying it—we’re beginning to love each other. And despite her free ways, and her still living with Everett at the camp, she has some fierce possessive streak for me—gets angry whenever my return comes up.” 

This quote marks a turning point for Weston in the novel, when he comes to realize fully that his relationship with Marissa is more than just a passing fling, but something deeper that has the potential to be a lasting relationship. The mention of Marissa’s anger when his departure comes up foreshadows the fact that Marissa, and Weston’s love for her, will be abiding factors in what eventually leads him to choose to stay in Ecotopia.

“Our role in it was heavy, and thousands of marvelous creatures that once inhabited this earth have now vanished from the universe forever. We have gobbled them up in our relentless increase.” 

Weston, here, is writing of the former whaling station, now a museum about whaling and mammalian extinction in general. This moment marks another shift in his attitude, evident in the use of the first-person plural pronouns: “our” and “we.” Weston is accepting some of the responsibility as an American for the ecological damage the country has caused the world, which is the first step toward a more Ecotopian mindset.

“I tossed her around on the bed a little roughly, wouldn’t let her up, more or less raped her. She seemed almost to have expected this. I felt odd when it began, confused between hatred and desire, but then they merged in a kind of hard, tightly holding embrace—a welcoming back on her part, and a deep acceptance of her on mine.” 

This uncomfortable scene, after the Ritual War Games and Marissa sleeping with one of the victors, reveals a troubling side of Weston’s character (his impulse to lash out when hurt, rather than talking it over with Marissa), as well as illustrating the way Ecotopians (here personified in Marissa) might combat that troubling side. It is ultimately Weston’s recognition and acceptance of the dual nature of his feelings in this moment—both desire and hatred—that seems to trigger Marissa’s re-acceptance of him, this emotional literacy being a core element of Ecotopian society.

“Knowing yourself as an animal creature on the earth, as we do. It can feel more comfortable than your kind of life.” 

In this passage, Marissa’s cousin, Jake, is talking to Weston about the benefits of bicycles, and in doing so, makes explicit something that has been implied elsewhere in the text that is another core Ecotopian belief: that humans are still animals and cannot lose sight of that fact. Callenbach, through the Ecotopians, seems to be making the argument that if humans accept this fact, we can be more “comfortable.” For Weston, this advice foreshadows his participation in the Ritual War Games with the Ecotopian journalists of his commune, one of the most wild and animalistic acts in Ecotopian society, and something that previously horrified him.

“‘We don’t think in terms of “things,” there’s no such thing as a thing—there are only systems.’ For the first time, this didn’t sound like gibberish to me.” 

This is another quote from Bert, speaking to Weston, and here we also see Weston both understanding the sentiment and agreeing with an important Ecotopian ideal: that nothing can be isolated and disconnected from its context. Things, for instance a piece of cloth, cannot be isolated from the processes that created it, and those processes have an impact on the world that is just as much a part of that piece of cloth as whatever it is eventually used for. This gets back to the “social costs” Ecotopians take into account, but whereas before this baffled and annoyed Weston, here it makes sense to him, showing a change in his perceptions.

“‘Small is beautiful,’ I was reminded.” 

This short quote encapsulates the general Ecotopian ideal of decentralization of systems and power. In this case, an Ecotopian is referring to businesses and how the economic system functions better on a small scale, as opposed to bulky corporations, in Ecotopia. The same tendency toward the small is replicated in the tax, prison, and school systems, as well as cities themselves.

“In fact the more closely I look at the fabric of Ecotopian life, the more I am forced to admit its strength and its beauty….Is that losing my objectivity?” 

This passage represents a moment of journalistic crisis for Weston. He sees that there has been a clear swing in his perceptions of Ecotopia that must be noticeable to his readers in America, and thus should probably be acknowledged and accounted for, and yet he is not sure how he might account for it, since he’s barely been aware of it himself. This also illustrates the danger of being truly open-minded: you might actually be swayed to change your position.

“We look with horror on the apartheid society of South Africa, where the dominant white minority has enforced rigid segregation in every aspect of life. In Ecotopia, the black minority has itself enforced a similar segregation—though of course it makes some difference that this was voluntary….” 

This passage reveals one of the interesting imperfections of Ecotopia—namely that people of different races do not really intermingle for the most part. As with Weston’s flaws, this imperfection in Ecotopia makes it more relatable, despite the fact that Callenbach seems to be suggesting that even in ideal circumstances (or as close as he can imagine to ideal), a truly equitable and racially-diverse society is not possible.

“Such an unbelievably elegant system would be nearly perfect from an Ecotopian point of view: Your garden could then recycle your sewage and garbage, provide your food, and also light your house!” 

This passage illustrates a subtle but important aspect of Ecotopia as a utopian society. As has been noted above, Ecotopia is not presented as a perfect society; however, this passage indicates that it is still a work in progress, and a place still striving toward an ideal. The technology being described does not yet exist, but it is possible, and Ecotopian society is not content to sit stagnant.

“Marissa would hate everything about New York, and Francine would hate everything about Ecotopia. Lucky ladies, to have such a schizophrenic for a lover….But how can I bear being so split?” 

In this passage, the rift between the Weston we began with at the start of the novel, and the Weston we will be left with at the end of the novel is illustrated geographically and through the characters of Weston’s lovers at each end of the spectrum: Marissa in Ecotopia versus Francine in New York. The fact that each woman would hate the other’s home shows the irreconcilable nature of this “split,” and makes it clear that Weston’s crisis moment will need to end with him choosing one or the other, but unable to have both.

“…there is some sense in which she is watching me, evaluating me, which is different from her playful cultural arm-wrestling at the beginning.” 

This quote illustrates an instance of dramatic irony in which one character (in this case Marissa) is aware of something another character (Weston) is unaware of. This brings us back to the “risk” Marissa knew she was taking with him, and here she is watching to see if it has paid off, and probably already suspects that it has—that Weston will in fact want to stay, though he does not consciously know this yet.

“There is a resilient humor to some of these songs, but evidently the Ecotopian revolution, whatever else it may have accomplished has not touched the basic miseries of the human condition.” 

In this passage about Ecotopian music, Weston once again notes that all is not perfect in Ecotopia: people still write songs about heartbreak. However, the “resilient humor” line perhaps indicates that Ecotopians, being better in touch with their feelings, might handle these imperfections of life better than the average American might.

“It seems likely that different ways of life always involve losses that balance the gains, and gains that balance the losses. Perhaps it is only that Ecotopians are happy, and miserable, in different ways from ourselves.” 

This passage is interesting because it is somewhat open to the reader’s interpretation, thereby affecting its actual meaning and giving it a rich ambiguity. Weston could be highlighting the fact that there is no real difference between the two societies, which then defeats the purpose of his articles to some extent and negates his ultimate decision to stay in Ecotopia. On the other hand, he could be highlighting the fact that the crucial element in that difference is that it's how one experiences or processes happiness or sadness that counts most of all.

Visit with the President has really gotten me down. Whole trip now seems like a waste of time. This place is lost to us—no question about it! Forever. Period.” 

This passage reveals Weston’s lowest point in the novel, when he is most depressed and lost. Plot-wise, this is an important development because this depression is what puts Weston in the frame of mind that finally allows him to “break through,” as his captors later put it (165). For Weston, whose identity is closely tied to his profession, failing at that profession, not enacting the hoped-for change through his journalistic efforts, puts him in crisis, but also allows him to think beyond that previous identity and open up new possibilities.  

“This time the ugly American me was almost sickening—I really thought I might have to throw up. I was filled with the desire to get into the hot water of the baths. My body longed to get out of those terrible clothes….” 

This passage comes from the climactic scene of the novel, in which Weston decides to put on his old American clothes, originally merely “fooling around” (164), until he catches sight of himself in the mirror and cannot even recognize himself. This is the clearest, most powerful evidence of the vastness of the change Weston has undergone over the preceding month and a half in Ecotopia, one’s reflection being symbolic of one’s identity. The visceral reaction uses not Weston himself, but “[his] body,” giving the reaction an instinctual, animalistic aspect that ties Weston to Ecotopian perceptions.