Dystopia in Adam Johnson's The Orphan Master's Son

Abstract

This project entitled “Dystopia in Adam Johnson's The Orphan Master’s Son" explores the negative influences of science and technology in human life. Advanced science and technology are misused by totalitarian North Korean government that has resulted in to sense of loss, misunderstanding, maladjustment, identity crisis, and conflict. This novel centers on the theme of propaganda. It is a story about the political mechanism of North Korea. The man character of the novel is Pak Jun do. He is the son of a woman whose singing voice causes her to be abducted to the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The protagonist's father is disillusioned, serving as a merciless warden for an orphanage. He is forced to use the children as laborers and slaves; they eventually end up being forced to join the country's army. The main character, Jun Do, is trained for combat, joining missions to penetrate South Korea. He is later recruited to kidnap people from across the sea to Japan. Throughout the rest of the novel, Jun Do suffers from hunger, fear, paranoia and identity crisis. He becomes almost lost in the midst of totalitarian government. He is even prevented to express his love to Sunmoon ,whom he loves. Jun Do follows a young man’s journey through the icy waters, dark tunnels, and strange spy chambers of the world’s most mysterious dictatorship North Korea