In this essay, I was asked to compare 1987 to 2000 in the book Looking Backward and state which one is more realistic. I’m here to say that the 2000 is the less realistic time period in this story, by a lot. The fact that Bellemey thinks a socialist utopia is possible and not utter fantasy astounds me.
The year 2000, as described in Looking Backward, is described, but it is not explained how everything functions behind the scenes. In Bellemey’s eye, everything just worked; he didn’t explain it because he couldn’t. There is no possible world where all people do their best without getting any extra compensation. That is not human nature, and taking away private ownership is not going to change human nature.