From Dystopia to Endurance: Poverty and Resistance in the Urban Landscape in The City of Joy

Abstract

Urbanization is often perceived as a driver of economic progress and modernization. However, for the marginalized poor, cities frequently become sites of exclusion, systemic oppression, and extreme hardship. Dominique Lapierre’s The City of Joy presents a powerful literary exploration of urban dystopia, depicting the struggles of slum dwellers in Anand Nagar, Calcutta. While the novel exposes the harsh realities of poverty, discrimination, and systemic exploitation, it also portrays resilience and collective survival, challenging traditional dystopian narratives. This study examines The City of Joy through a socio-literary lens, focusing on how urban dystopia operates as a mechanism of both oppression and hope. The research analyzes the dual portrayal of despair and endurance in the novel, investigating how Lapierre critiques economic disparity, social injustice, and survival mechanisms within the urban dystopian framework. Employing a qualitative and textual analysis approach, the study draws on dystopian literary theory, Marxist criticism, urban studies, and resilience theory to contextualize the novel’s themes. Key theoretical insights from Bauman on “wasted lives” (2011), Harvey on urban capitalism (2003), and Appadurai on slum resilience (2001) inform this analysis. Findings indicate that The City of Joy presents a multidimensional perspective on urban dystopia, portraying the city as both a site of severe oppression and extraordinary human endurance. The novel illustrates how the economic underclass is systematically excluded yet persists through solidarity, adaptation, and hope. The study highlights that while the novel critiques capitalist urbanization and social hierarchies, it also reveals the transformative power of human agency and communal resilience. It further reframes the urban dystopian narrative by juxtaposing deprivation with perseverance, offering a poignant critique of systemic inequalities while celebrating the unbreakable human spirit. This study contributes to the discourse on literature’s role in representing and resisting urban poverty, emphasizing how storytelling can illuminate both oppression and survival in contemporary cities.