This Perfect Day

This Perfect Day
First edition
AuthorIra Levin
LanguageEnglish
GenreScience fiction
PublisherRandom House
Publication date
1970
Publication placeUnited States
Awards1992 Prometheus Hall of Fame
ISBN0-394-44858-8
OCLC60675

This Perfect Day is a science fiction novel by American writer Ira Levin, about a technocratic dystopia.[1] Levin won a Prometheus Award in 1992 for this novel. This Perfect Day is one of two Levin novels yet to be adapted to film (the other being Son of Rosemary, the sequel to Rosemary's Baby).

Backstory

The world is managed by a central computer called UniComp (referred as just "Uni" in speech), which has been programmed to keep every single human on the surface of the Earth in check. People living under the "Unification" are continually drugged by means of monthly treatments (delivered via transdermal spray or jet injector) so that they will remain satisfied and co-operative "Family members." They are told where to live, when to eat, whom to marry, when to reproduce, and the job for which they will be trained. Everyone is assigned a counselor, who acts somewhat like a mentor, confessor, and parole agent; violations against "brothers" and "sisters" by themselves and others are expected to be reported at a weekly confession.

Everyone wears a permanent identifying bracelet that interfaces with access points, which act as scanners. Uni uses them to tell "Family members" where they are allowed to go and what they are allowed to do. Around the age of 62, every person is humanely euthanized by Uni with an overdose of the treatment liquids; almost anything in them is poisonous if an excess dose is given. The general population believes that the elderly die of natural causes, and since some die at 61 or 63, no one is too suspicious of the regularity. The few who happen to be resistant to the drugs or purposely change their behavior to avoid strong doses of some of the drugs in the monthly treatment are dealt with by the programmers of UniComp. The long-lived men and women, in their underground hideaway, are the real but invisible world government. They live in absolute luxury and choose their own members through a form of meritocracy. In part, people who choose by evasion and modifying their own behavior to leave the main Family are subtly redirected to "nature preserves" of imperfect life on islands. They, however, have been put in place by the programmers as a place to isolate trouble-making Family members. The top minds in the outcasts are further manipulated into trying to overthrow the "Programmers" and the ones who nearly succeeded are forced to join the programmers to "help them maintain the equilibrium" in the "perfect" world of UniComp and "The Family."

Despite the name, the "programmers" are not allowed to program Uni since Wei Li Chun, the person who started the Unification, reserves the privilege solely to himself. Instead, they do administrative work.

Even the basic facts of nature are subject to the programmers' will: men do not grow facial hair, and it rains only at night. Dampers even control the movement of tectonic plates. Reference is made in the story to permanent settlements on Mars, Venus, and the Moon; outposts on Saturn's moon Titan and on Mercury; and even to interstellar space exploration. The outposts have their own equivalents of UniComp.

The full rhyme is sung by children bouncing a ball (similar to a clapping game):

Christ, Marx, Wood and Wei,
Led us to this perfect day.
Marx, Wood, Wei and Christ,
All but Wei were sacrificed.
Wood, Wei, Christ and Marx,
Gave us lovely schools and parks.
Wei, Christ, Marx and Wood,
Made us humble, made us good.

Only the programmers and their attendants know that Wei Li Chun remains alive as the leader of the programmers, extending his lifespan by having his head transplanted onto successive youthful bodies.

Bob Wood is mentioned throughout the novel but never discussed in detail. A painting is mentioned depicting Wood presenting the Unification Treaty. In one conversation in which the protagonist discusses his discovery that people once had varying lifespans, one character comments that controlling people's lifespans is the ultimate realization of Wei and Wood's thinking. The poem also mentions Jesus Christ, the central figure of Christianity, and presents the historical Karl Marx, an ideologue of communism, with the text describing paintings of Jesus attacking the moneychangers in the temple and Marx writing at his desk, both possibly implying an anti-capitalist ideology. These two pillars of the official state ideology are depicted on its coat of arms, with a cross and sickle. Sacrificed is a poetic synonym for dead.

Uniformity is the defining feature. There is only one language, and all ethnic groups have been eugenically merged into one race, "The Family." It is so genetically uniform that no transplants are rejected. There are only four personal names for men (Bob, Jesus, Karl, and Li) and four for women (Anna, Mary, Peace, and Yin). Instead of surnames, individuals are distinguished by a nine-character alphanumeric code, their "nameber" (a neologism from "name" and "number"), such as WL35S7497. Everyone eats "totalcakes," drinks "cokes," wears exactly the same thing, and is satisfied every day.

It is assumed that Uni and the restriction on names were created not very long ago, since Papa Jan was one of the employees who constructed it, and he claims to have remembered when there were many names. However, to make the members genetically uniform, many generations are needed.

Levin's dystopia enjoys some commendable features as well. The Earth and its extra-planetary colonies are free of war, hunger, most diseases, crime, envy, and inter-personal violence. Thanks to rigid population control and a more rational management of the environment, the threat of human extinction has been considerably reduced.

Plot summary

Li RM35M4419, nicknamed "Chip" (as in "chip off the old block") by his nonconformist grandfather Jan, is a typical child Member, but through a mistake in genetic programming, he has one green eye. Through his grandfather's encouragement, he learns how to play a game of "wanting things," including imagining what career he might pick if he had the choice. Chip is told by his adviser that "deciding" and "picking" are manifestations of selfishness, and he tries to forget his dreams.

As Chip grows up and begins his career, he is mostly a good citizen but commits minor subversive acts, such as procuring art materials for another "nonconformist" member who was denied them. His occasional oddities attract the attention of a secret group of Members of nonconformists, like Chip. There, he meets King, a Medicenter chief who obtains members' records for potential future recruitment to the group; King's beautiful girlfriend, Lilac, a strong-willed and inquisitive woman with unusually dark skin; and Snowflake, a rare albino member. They teach Chip how to get his treatments reduced so that he can feel more and stronger emotions. Chip begins an affair with Snowflake but is really attracted to Lilac.

Chip and Lilac begin to search through old museum maps and soon discover islands around the world that have disappeared from their modern map. They begin to wonder if perhaps other "incurable" members have escaped to the islands. King tells them that the idea is nonsense, but Chip soon learns that King has already interacted with some "incurables" and that they are indeed real. Before he can tell Lilac, Chip's ruse is discovered by his adviser. He and all the other members of the group are captured and treated back into docility (except King, who takes his own life before he can be captured).

Some years later, Chip's regular treatment is delayed by an earthquake. In the meanwhile, he begins to "wake up" again and remembers Lilac and the islands. He is able to shield his arm from the treatment nozzle and becomes fully awake for the first time. He locates Lilac again and kidnaps her. At first, she fights him, but as she too becomes more "awake," she remembers the islands and comes willingly. Finding a convenient abandoned boat on the beach, they head for the nearest island of incurables, Majorca. There, they learn that UniComp, as a last resort, has planted failsafes that eventually lead all incurables to the islands, where they will be trapped forever from the treated population. After living "free" on Majorca, Chip and Lilac eventually marry and have a child together.

Chip conceives of a plan to destroy the computer, UniComp, by blowing up its refrigeration system. He recruits other incurables to join him, and they make their way to the mainland. Just as they reach UniComp, one of the incurables, an agent of the programmers, betrays his partners and leads the rest of the group at gunpoint to a secret luxurious underground city beneath UniComp, where they are met by Wei, one of the original planners of the Unification. Wei and the other "programmers" who live in UniComp have arranged the test so that the most daring and resourceful incurables will make their way to UniComp. There, they too will live in luxury as programmers.

After joining the programmers and a few tentative attempts to confide in someone, Chip shares his misgivings with no one, lies low, and dedicates himself to the task of gaining Wei's confidence. For example, to deceive Wei, Chip consents to the replacement of his green eye with a brown one even though it involves giving up a cherished part of his identity.

However, nine months later, a new group of incurables arrives, and Chip leaves the welcome party with the intention of using the newcomers' explosives to blow up the master computer. A physical struggle with Wei, who has the body of a young athlete, results in Wei being shot. Just before he is killed, Wei reveals his true motive in creating the dystopia: "there's joy in having it, in controlling, in being the only one." Chip knew all along that it was power hunger, not altruism, that drove Wei to chicanery and murder. Chip succeeds in destroying Uni with the explosives. On his way up from the underground city towards sunlight, Chip tells an angry programmer: "'There’s joy in having it': those were [Wei's] last words. Everything else was rationalization. And self-deception."

The book ends with Chip riding a helicopter toward Majorca, where Lilac, their son, financial sponsors, and friends are hopefully waiting for him. For the first time in his life, he sees raindrops in daytime, nature's affirmation that the era of slavery and total control is finally over.

Reception

Cherry Wilder, discussing This Perfect Day, stated, "The ideology of the "utopia" is weak, but the quality of the writing and the level of invention are high."[2] David Pringle gave This Perfect Day two stars out of four and described the book as "a slickly-written update of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, lacking in originality but very professionally put together."[1]

See also

Editions



  • (in Portuguese)(in Brasil): Este mundo perfeito, Nova fronteira, 1970
  • (in French): Un bonheur insoutenable, J'ai lu, N°434, 1972 ISBN 2-290-33285-2
  • (in German): Die sanften Ungeheuer, Hoffmann und Campe 1972, ISBN 3-455-04403-4
  • (in Italian): Questo giorno perfetto, Garzanti 1970
  • (in Dutch): De dag der dagen, Bruna 1979, ISBN 90 229 1835 1
  • (in Swedish): En vacker dag
  • (in Danish): Fagre nye elektronverden, 1989
  • (in Romanian): O zi perfecta, Vremea 1995

References

  1. ^ a b David Pringle, The Ultimate Guide To Science Fiction. New York: Pharos Books: St. Martins Press, 1990. ISBN 0886875374 (p.318).
  2. ^ Cherry Wilder, "Levin, Ira" in Twentieth-Century Science-Fiction Writers by Curtis C. Smith. St. James Press, 1986, ISBN 0-912289-27-9 (p.443-4).


Read other articles:

State historical society of the United States Delaware Historical SocietyLogo of the Delaware Historical SocietyLocation in DelawareEstablished1864 (1864)Location504 N. Market Street, Wilmington, DelawareCoordinates39°44′34″N 75°33′01″W / 39.742785°N 75.550382°W / 39.742785; -75.550382TypeHistoryDirectorDavid Young, Ph.D.PresidentMargaret Laird, Ph.D.Public transit access DART First State bus: 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 25, 35, 52Websitedeh...

 

The ImmigrantPoster teatrikal untuk The Immigrant (1917)SutradaraCharles ChaplinProduserJohn JasperCharles ChaplinDitulis olehCharles Chaplin (skenario)Vincent Bryan (skenario)Maverick Terrell (skenario)PemeranCharles ChaplinEdna PurvianceEric CampbellPenata musikCharles ChaplinSinematograferRoland TotherohGeorge C. ZalibraPenyuntingCharles ChaplinDistributorMutual Film CorporationTanggal rilis 17 Juni 1917 (1917-06-17) Durasi22 menitNegaraAmerika SerikatBahasaFilm bisuIntertitel I...

 

Pour les articles homonymes, voir Pudar. Lana PudarBiographieNaissance 19 janvier 2006 (18 ans)MostarNationalité bosnienneActivité NageusePère Velibor Pudar (en)Autres informationsSport Natation sportivemodifier - modifier le code - modifier Wikidata Lana Pudar est une nageuse bosnienne née le 19 janvier 2006 à Mostar en Bosnie-Herzégovine. Spécialiste du style papillon, elle détient de nombreux records nationaux et participe aux Jeux olympiques d'été 2020 à Tokyo en 100m. Bi...

Political party in East and West Pakistan For other uses, see National Awami Party (disambiguation). National Awami Party National People's PartyUrdu nameنیشنل عوامی پارٹیBengali nameন্যাশনাল আওয়ামী পার্টিAbbreviationNAPLeaderAbdul Hamid Khan BhashaniFoundersAbdul Hamid Khan Bhashani and Yar Mohammad KhanFounded1957 (1957)Dacca, East Pakistan, PakistanDissolvedNovember 30, 1967 (1967-11-30)Merger ofAPPSindh Mah...

 

Georgian spice mix Georgian cuisine ქართული სამზარეულო Dishes & sauces Georgian bread Georgian cheese Abkhazian cheese Ajapsandali Badrijani Chakapuli Chakhokhbili Chanakhi Chashushuli Chicken tabaka Chikhirtma Chkmeruli Churchkhela Gozinaki Ispanakhi Matsvnit Khachapuri Kharcho Khashi Khinkali Kubdari Kuchmachi Kupati Lobiani Lobio Matsoni Mchadi Mujuji Pelamushi Pkhali Satsivi Shotis puri Sulguni Tolma Tklapi Tonis puri sauces: Ajika Satsebeli Tkemali W...

 

Nick Park nel 2007 Oscar al miglior cortometraggio d'animazione 1991 Oscar al miglior cortometraggio d'animazione 1994 Oscar al miglior cortometraggio d'animazione 1996 Oscar al miglior film d'animazione 2006 Nick Park, pseudonimo di Nicholas Wulstan Park CBE RDI (Preston, 6 dicembre 1958), è un animatore, fumettista, produttore cinematografico, sceneggiatore e direttore della fotografia britannico, vincitore di quattro premi Oscar, ideatore dei personaggi di Wallace e Gromit, Shaun, vita da...

Thank you for your patience as I review and respond to your messages, emails, and notifications. To bring a matter to my immediate attention, please start a new discussion or post a new comment on this page. — Newslinger talk 23:35, 21 September 2023 (UTC)[reply] This is Newslinger's talk page, where you can send them messages and comments. Put new text under old text. Click here to start a new topic. New to Wikipedia? Welcome! Learn to edit; get help. Assume good faith Be polite and avoi...

 

RAD54B المعرفات الأسماء المستعارة RAD54B, RDH54, RAD54 homolog B (S. cerevisiae), RAD54 homolog B معرفات خارجية الوراثة المندلية البشرية عبر الإنترنت 604289 MGI: MGI:3605986 HomoloGene: 8240 GeneCards: 25788 علم الوجود الجيني الوظيفة الجزيئية • RNA helicase activity• DNA translocase activity• ربط دي إن إي• ‏GO:0004003 DNA helicase activity• nucleotide binding• نشاط ه...

 

Standard theatrical motion picture film gauge This article is about the motion picture film gauge. For the still photographic film gauge, see 135 film. 35 mm movie filmTypeFilm stockInventorWilliam Kennedy DicksonInception1889 (1889)ManufacturerEdison company; Eastman KodakCurrent supplierKodak 35 mm film is a film gauge used in filmmaking, and the film standard.[1] In motion pictures that record on film, 35 mm is the most commonly used gauge. The name of the gauge is n...

Drums used for long-distance signalling and communications Bamileke people tamtam Developed and used by cultures living in forested areas, drums served as an early form of long-distance communication, and were used during ceremonial and religious functions. Types Talking drum While the tone and articulation of this type of hourglass-shaped instrument can be finely controlled, it cannot be heard at distances beyond a gathering or market-place, and it is primarily used in ceremonial settings. C...

 

Chinese Vice Premier In this Chinese name, the family name is Zhang. Zhang Guoqing张国清Zhang in 2023Vice Premier of the People's Republic of ChinaIncumbentAssumed office 12 March 2023Serving with Ding Xuexiang, He Lifeng, Liu GuozhongPremierLi QiangCommunist Party Secretary of LiaoningIn office1 September 2020 – 28 November 2022DeputyLiu Ning → Li Lecheng (Governor)General SecretaryXi JinpingPreceded byChen QiufaSucceeded byHao PengMayor of TianjinIn office2 Janua...

 

Zurkhanah pada Pesta Olahraga Solidaritas Islam 2017LokasiCrystal HallBakuTanggal20–21 Mei 2017Jumlah disiplin7 Zurkhanah pada Pesta Olahraga Solidaritas Islam 2017 adalah pelaksanaan cabang olahraga zurkhanah pada penyelenggaraan Pesta Olahraga Solidaritas Islam 2017. Kompetisi pada cabang olahraga ini berlangsung di Crystal Hall, Baku,[1] sejak tanggal 20 hingga 21 Mei 2017.[2] Edisi ini menandingkan 7 nomor. Perolehan medali   *   Tuan rumah penye...

Questa voce sull'argomento cestisti ucraini è solo un abbozzo. Contribuisci a migliorarla secondo le convenzioni di Wikipedia. Segui i suggerimenti del progetto di riferimento. Oleksandra HorbunovaNazionalità Ucraina Altezza186 cm Peso82 kg Pallacanestro RuoloAla Termine carriera2021 CarrieraSquadre di club  CSKA Mosca AvenidaDnipropetrovsk2011-2012 Sopron2012-2013 Rivas Ecópolis2013-2014 Dinamo Kursk2017-2021Chayka Berdiansk Nazionale 2005-2019 Ucraina ...

 

Radio station in Dayton, OhioWDAODayton, OhioBroadcast areaDayton metropolitan areaFrequency1210 kHzBrandingReal Rhythm of the CityProgrammingLanguage(s)EnglishFormatUrban adult contemporaryOwnershipOwnerJohnson Communications, Inc.HistoryFirst air dateSeptember 4, 1947; 76 years ago (1947-09-04)Former call signsWWSO (1947–1954)WAVI (1954–1985)Call sign meaningDayton, OhioTechnical information[1]Licensing authorityFCCFacility ID31880ClassDPower1,000 watts da...

 

Pertempuran Bet-HoronBagian dari the Perang Yahudi-Romawi PertamaTanggal66 CELokasiBet-HoronHasil Judean victoryPihak terlibat Roman Empire orang Yahudi dari Provinsi YudeaTokoh dan pemimpin Cestius Gallus Simon Bar-GioraKekuatan Seluruh legiun XII Fulminata. Vexilations dari III Gallica, IIII Scythica dan VI Ferrata. Beberapa cohorts auxiliaries. Puluhan ribu milisia YahudiKorban 6.000 tentara terbunuh, XII Fulminata kehilangan aquila Tidak diketahuiTemplat:Campaignbox First Jewish-Roman War...

Flotilla unit of the Nazi Kriegsmarine 6th U-boat FlotillaActiveOctober 1938–December 1939July 1941–August 1944Country Nazi GermanyBranch KriegsmarineTypeU-boat flotillaGarrison/HQKiel, Danzig, St. NazaireNickname(s)Hundius FlotillaCommandersNotablecommandersKorvettenkapitän Werner HartmannKorvettenkapitän Georg-Wilhelm SchulzKapitänleutnant Carl EmmermannMilitary unit The 6th U-boat Flotilla (German 6. Unterseebootsflottille), also known as Hundius Flotilla, was a fr...

 

يفتقر محتوى هذه المقالة إلى الاستشهاد بمصادر. فضلاً، ساهم في تطوير هذه المقالة من خلال إضافة مصادر موثوق بها. أي معلومات غير موثقة يمكن التشكيك بها وإزالتها. (ديسمبر 2018) كأس ملك إسبانيا 2007–08معلومات عامةالرياضة كرة القدم الاتحاد الاتحاد الملكي الإسباني لكرة القدم البطولة ك...

 

La bandiera dell'orgoglio leather, assurta a simbolo della sottocultura fetish BDSM I membri leather al Gay Pride di San Francisco, 2004 La subcultura leather denota uno stile di abbigliamento organizzato attorno a determinate pratiche sessuali; indossare capi di abbigliamento di pelle è uno dei modi che i partecipanti di questa cultura utilizzano per distinguersi consapevolmente dalle culture sessuali tradizionali.La cultura leather è tra quelle più visibili nelle comunità gay ed è più...

Spanish Renaissance writer, humanist, and historian For other people named Pedro Mejía, see Pedro Mejía (disambiguation). Pedro Mejía Pedro Mejíaa (old Spanish spelling: Pero Mexía), (between 17 January and 6 September 1497 – 17 January 1551) was a Spanish Renaissance writer, humanist and historian. He was born and died in Seville, where he lived for the majority of his life and for which there is always a special affection in his writings. He studied humanities and law at Seville ...

 

A T-34 tank of North Korea. The T-34-85 was the major tank used by the Korean People's Army in the Korean War. vteHistory of the tankEra World War I Interwar World War II Cold War Post–Cold War Country Australia United Kingdom Cuba China Canada New Zealand Czechoslovakia France Germany Iran Iraq Italy Israel Japan Poland North Korea South Korea Soviet Union Spain Sweden United States Ukraine Type Light tank Medium tank Heavy tank Super-heavy tank Cruiser tank Flame tank Infantry tank Main ...