his familial environment, the main difference being that the dystopia is only being felt and experienced by Francie himself and nobody else around him. He captivates himself in this sense of dystopia for example through television, e.g. gaining knowledge on topics such as aliens, communists and the atomic age – until his father breaks it into pieces, a clear example of Francie’s dystopia being thrown onto him through the means of his family’s treatment towards him. Dystopia reflects the horrors of war or socio-economic crisis, and in this sense, The Butcher Boy is an example of literary dystopia that feeds on the reality of Ireland in the 1960s and its actual experiences, such as priestly child abuse or small communities like Clones abusing certain outlying members like the Brady family. In this way, McCabe constructs an outlandish world, one of metaphysical anguish for a child, like Francie, provoked by all the external restrictions imposed upon his being. With the intergalactic wars, lunar settlements, and extra-terrestrial contacts of science fiction that feature in Francie’s inner world, McCabe situates the child in a clear dystopic setting where he is the victim of his parents’ violence, a notable lack of parental skills, and alienation from his community. Francie’s goal is to achieve autonomy outside his small world, and to transcend his suffocating routine in the small town of Clones; this is of course why he runs away to Dublin, where he feels much more at ease. “All the beautiful things in this world are lies. They count for nothing in the end” indicates the clear confusion and despondency Francie constantly holds in his mind about his position and worth in life, stemming from the fact that he is essentially living life in a dystopic bubble, in which the rest of society seem to be oblivious to it and only Francie is experiencing any repercussions.

A constant theme in Naked Lunch is the thrill of being in situations of utmost chaos and