Looking Backward: Analysis of Major Characters
"Looking Backward" is a novel that explores the transformative journey of Julian West, a young man from 19th-century Boston who, under hypnosis, finds himself in a utopian society in the year 2000. In this future world, government controls all aspects of life, resulting in a population that is universally happy, healthy, and prosperous. Julian is captivated by this new society and soon falls in love with Edith Leete, the great-granddaughter of his former sweetheart, who eagerly agrees to marry him after discovering his love letters from the past.
Key characters include Dr. Leete, who introduces Julian to this new era and represents the ideals of the society, and Edith Bartlett, Julian's 19th-century beloved, who preserved his letters after his disappearance. Another significant character is Dr. Pillsbury, the quack doctor responsible for Julian's hypnosis, which allows him to bridge the two vastly different worlds. This narrative offers readers a thought-provoking look at social structures, economic systems, and personal relationships across time, making it a rich subject for analysis and discussion.
Looking Backward: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Edward Bellamy
First published: 1888
Genre: Novel
Locale: Boston, Massachusetts
Plot: Utopian
Time: 2000 a.d.
Julian West, a young Bostonian who, sleeping under hypnosis in his sound-proofed cellar, goes forward into the year 2000 to find himself in a socialistic United States where government controls everything and everyone is happy, healthy, and well-off. Julian is delighted with this new world and falls in love with a young woman of the time. They marry and plan a secure, happy life in the twenty-first century.
Dr. Leete, Julian's host in the year 2000. He is a doctor who, like everyone else at the time, has retired at forty-five. He likes Julian and enjoys showing him the brave new world of the year 2000.
Edith Leete, the great-granddaughter of Julian's nineteenth century sweetheart. She falls in love with Julian through the love letters he wrote to his sweetheart in the 1880's. She readily agrees to marry Julian, who has found security as a college lecturer in history.
Edith Bartlett, Julian's sweetheart in the nineteenth century. She saved his letters and passed them on to posterity after his mysterious disappearance.
Dr. Pillsbury, a quack who performs the hypnosis that allows Julian to sleep from 1887 to 2000. He administers the treatment to relieve the young man's chronic insomnia.
Mr. Bartlett, Edith Bartlett's father and Julian's host during his last evening spent in the year 1887.