Art lives in a realm of ambiguity, and it is ambiguity that gives it greater applicability to average life. In Specimen Days by Michael Cunningham, three stories lack detail to draw more attention to the ideas contained within the stories and the idea of ​​individuality within society. In Yevgeny Zamyatin's Us, a dystopian society is rarely detailed and character motivations rarely addressed, whereas Zamyatin touches on ideas of revolution and individuality. The heavy use of ambiguity in Specimen Days and We functions to draw attention away from the smaller details of the worlds created, and instead to draw attention to the characters and their interactions, as well as the more in-depth commentary of each text. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In Specimen Days, the three-part structure of the text draws attention away from the actual society and setting, instead drawing attention to the characters and motives. that meander through each scenario. The book is divided into three parts – “In the Machine”, “The Children's Crusade” and “Like Beauty” – set in the past, present and future respectively. The styles of the three storylines differ greatly, with one being a ghost story, another a mystery, and the last a futuristic dystopian tale. By differentiating the stories so much from each other, Cunningham completely subverts the settings and plots. By disrupting the natural flow of each text and moving directly to another, Cunningham draws attention to the characters and shared aspects rather than the storyline itself. Character growth and function in each text is supported by the uncertainty of when each story arc will end and the next one will begin, as well as the ambiguity surrounding each setting and functioning of each world. This especially comes into play in “Like Beauty,” where the workings of dystopian society are barely touched upon, but the characters and their connections to each other are explored, leaving the setting undefined. Through the undefined society in We, the uncertainty surrounding how the dystopian world works also helps to focus attention on the interactions and feelings of the characters rather than the details of a created imaginary society. How The One State works is barely detailed, only revealing information about how it works when it becomes relevant to how plots work, like the voting system or Sex Days. Although there are some details regarding the operation of the company created, it carries an air of ambiguity and uncertainty as not all information is revealed and the operation is not fully detailed. This slight ambiguity surrounding the workings of the One State and the numbers allows for more focus on the revolution and the decision D-503 faces when choosing comfort in the same or potential joy in the new. The lack of clarity surrounding the motives and exactly why characters are repeated in Specimen Days contributes to the ambiguity of the text and emphasizes commentary on the common bonds of humanity. The porcelain bowl appears in all three subsections of Specimen Days and is always given to a loved one. Although it is not clear what the same bowl is in the three very different and far apart sections, it conveys one of the major ideas of the text. Through all subsections, it is offered to a loved one, indicating the universality of care and love...