Ecotopia

Weston’s May 21st entry begins with news of an oceanic rise in radiation levels, cause unknown, though clearly some other country’s doing. Tensions rise slightly, due to Ecotopians’ “tendency to blame technological disasters on Americans” (66). Weston also writes that he has decided to move to the journalist commune, “Franklin’s Cove,” where Bert lives, and participates in the “work crew” doing chores. He notes they tend to goof off, and Bert tells him, “Almost anything can be [fun], if you keep your eye on the process and not the goal” (67).

In his May 23rd entry, Weston confesses that his relationship with Marissa, who is visiting him in the city, has “quickly gotten terribly serious” (69), and describes a boating outing they go on together, along with Marissa’s brother, Ben. Ben and Weston get into a confrontation over Weston’s relationship with Marissa, Ben being worried she’ll get hurt, since Weston’s stay is temporary. They also visit an old whaling station turned into a museum, and Weston marvels at the destructive power of humanity. Afterward, Marissa reassures Weston she knows the risks she is taking and relishes the importance of risk in one’s life.

The next column, “Savagery Restored: Ecotopia’s Dark Side,” describes Weston’s experience at the Ritual War Games. Two opposing sides, consisting of rival communes, drink a stimulant, don war paint, and hoist stone-tipped spears in an open field, and then go after each other until one man is injured through the shoulder, at which point the fighting ceases, and the side sustaining the injury is declared the loser, while an ambulance arrives to tend to him. Weston then delves into the history of this practice, derived from anthropological theories as a way to channel aggression in a less destructive form than actual war (about 50 people perish per year, which an Ecotopian compares to the 75,000 vehicle deaths in the United States). The practice is entirely male, and mostly youths. Ecotopians claim this is because women have other outlets for aggression, especially politics and organizing. The entry that follows this column describes Marissa being turned on by the event and having sex with one of the victors, which angers Weston, and he “more or less rape[s] her,” (though he immediately follows this by writing, “She seemed almost to have expected this”), ending the entry with, “Savages!” (76)

May 25th’s column, “Their Plastics and Ours” discusses innovations in Ecotopian plastics, making them biodegradable, decomposing soon after use, or more durable plastics containing a “keyhole” (78), accessible only by microorganisms, so all that is needed to return these to fertilizer is to place them in compost bins. The May 26th journal entry describes a fight Weston has with Bert, whom he said he would consult before publishing a piece on the war games, but does not. The rest of the entry contains assorted notes on things that don’t fit in his articles, regarding special clothing that adapts to the wearer’s conditions, money, furniture, Ecotopian smugness, and finally, lamentations on not being able to be with Marissa as often as he would like.

This second section of Ecotopia sees the introduction of Marissa Brightcloud, who serves as an Ecotopian ally, as well as a foil, for Weston. The introduction of her character allows Weston to engage more frequently and with more self-reflection in the world around him, through extended interactions with her, thereby developing his character in more detail. Shortly after meeting her, we see a shift in the tone of the journal entries in places, introducing more figurative language and lush description (for example “my reportorial self floating away”), which highlights and magnifies the fact that very quickly, Weston finds himself falling for her (53). The introduction of Marissa also allows the plot to begin to gather more momentum, giving Weston’s mission and exploration of Ecotopia more import. The stakes continue to rise the closer Marissa and Weston become. 

The tension also begins to ramp up in this chunk of the novel, with author Callenbach already having established the setting and protagonist in sufficient detail. There’s a visit from Ecotopia’s counter-intelligence, and a hike in radiation levels over the Pacific, which puts the Ecotopians, who are already predisposed to “blame technological disasters on Americans” (66), even more on edge with Weston.As Marissa and Weston become closer, Marissa’s brother, Ben, enters the picture, attempting to protect his sister from getting hurt. Finally, we begin to see more complicated and harder-to-accept aspects of Ecotopian culture come to light, especially through Weston’s article on the “Ritual War Games” (which in itself also causes further tension with his friend Bert, since Weston declined to let him help with the article). Another aspect of complication arises with the volatility of Weston and Marissa’s relationship, especially after the Games, when Marissa sleeps with someone else during the ensuing revelry and Weston becomes jealous. The Games serve as a sort of lynchpin of the novel around which the plot and characters seem to see a significant shift.

Meanwhile, while the portrait we’re getting of Ecotopia is getting ever more complex, and Weston, as a character, is beginning to deepen and shift as well, with Marissa’s help. The ugly episode of quasi-sexual assault after the War Games actually seems to allow him to recognize that ugliness and catalyzes further self-awareness and openness to Ecotopian ways. The tone of Weston’s articles becomes noticeably more amenable toward Ecotopian viewpoints as well, as Weston notes: “Just reread the last couple columns. Realize that my attitudes toward the place have changed a lot in three weeks” (94). All of these perturbations and rising tensions set the stage for the coming climax and resolution.