When dealing with the severe circumstances that usually plague dystopian societies, it is a bit uncommon for characters to rely on religion. In Brown Girl in The Ring, the main character, Ti-Jean, not only relies on her deities for guidance but also uses them to fight against the injustices she faces. Though this proved successful, I do not believe that religion is always necessary to fight against oppression.
One of the main components of religion is unity. In that, I believe that’s what made Ti-Jean’s liberation successful as well as any other effort successful. When people are united it brings a level of strength that an individual does not have. This can be seen in 1984 as Winston’s attempts are unsuccessful. To truly address oppression, those being oppressed must come together as one and religion offers that as it is a community of people with the same beliefs. That being said, the answer to fighting oppression is unity, not religion.
