“The Wretched Refuse of Your Teeming Shore”: Overpopulation and Social Breakdown in Harry Harrison’sMakeRoom!MakeRoom!
This article begins by explaining more about the novel Make Room! Make Room! Terrible conditions are described in the beginning of the article, as it illustrates what society pushed to the edge would feel like in New York City. Growing up in NYC, I can understand what overpopulation may feel like. Anyways, the article describes a society where crime is abundant, food and water is scarce, and many people reside without homes, truly an unpleasant way to live. Later in the article, it says that "by 1970, the number of americans living in or near cities made up 70% of the population". Another unfathomable quote was "6 major cities with populations over 1 million...contributed 30% of the countries major violent crimes". Realistically, overpopulation is seemingly possible at some point, but we have got to start thinking towards the future..what steps would we take (that do not include killing off innocent people) as a city, or as a country in order to avoid such drastic circumstances?
Regarding the setting of the novel, the article explains that the author of Make Room! Make Room!, Harry Harrington, decided on the year 1999, to illustrate to readers that such a future society of overpopulation was absolutely realistically possible in the near future.
Make Room Make Room! shows what future consequences can be, relative to our modern day actions.
While I hope overpopulation does not happen at any point, I do start to wonder how a society like that could function.
But hey, it's science-fiction...you can wonder anythin that your mind wants to imagine.
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