In Yevgeny Zamyatin’s novel, We, the ideas behind individualism and communism are enhanced to see the social attributes which could occur in the future. The novel was written after the Bolshevik revolution in Russia in which a communist government (leading towards a totalitarian society) was then in place. Zamyatin uses We to show when the focus on this type of society is taken to the extreme, humans lose their individualism and conform to the community, rather than showing their own characteristics and strengths. Throughout the novel the citizens of the One State focus on their schedules and the way of life which best suits the community. Each person is to follow the same demands as everyone else, to precise detail (ie, time for the Personal Hour and work). This leads to citizens to becoming so entrenched in their society that they do not believe they have more of a purpose than to support the community.
Zamyatin’s vision behind this idea is somewhat plausible if it were to occur over the course of hundreds, even thousands of years. In present day it is unlikely to happen due to the extreme variety of human beliefs and rights among a spectrum. To include everyone in the world to come together and agree to benefit one another is highly unlikely at this point in time. It would only succeed in a small group of people that were secluded from the outside world; though, as it can be seen through other historical “utopias” (such as New Harmony, the Oneidas, Brook Farm, etc.) this goal can not be reached due to the necessity of the outside world for supplies and communication. In conclusion, one can see that individualism will continue into the future, and there is no need for worry, at least currently, for such an area as the One State.
Monday, April 11, 2011
We - Journal, Topic B
D-503
D-503 is the protagonist in We who struggles with deciding what is morally right: the way the One State functions or the ways of the Ancients. In the beginning of the novel, D-503 believes strongly in the core values of the One State in which entails him to become entrenched within his society. D-503 is the Builder of the Integral and is the record-writer (meaning the book is written in first person point of view), thus showing how he has close ties to his community. As the story progresses he begins to question the world around him due to the inquiry and “outsider” ideas of I-330. This confusion causes D-503 to rethink what he knows about society and attempts to have an “outside” view on the One State.
D-503 jumps back and forth with his thoughts about morality, which is made apparent in, “I am like a machine being driven to excessive rotations: the bearings are incandescing and, in a minute, melted metal will begin to drip and everything will turn to nothing. Quick, get cold water, logic. I am pouring it over myself by the bucketload but the logic sizzles on the hot bearings and dissipates elusive white steam into the air” (Zamyatin, 119). Through this passage one can see how this conflict deeply disturbs D-503 as he wants to go back to the way he believes before, but can not due to the new thoughts instilled upon him. The passage also shows the strong link of the machinery and technology of the One State and the individuals. D-503 is so set in his ways and mindset that he compares himself to technology, rather than that of nature, which is not apparent the One State side of the Green Wall. As D-503 continues to struggle with the idea that there might be more to life than the society he was born into, he continues to revert back to examples in which he can rely on from his own knowledge.
D-503 jumps back and forth with his thoughts about morality, which is made apparent in, “I am like a machine being driven to excessive rotations: the bearings are incandescing and, in a minute, melted metal will begin to drip and everything will turn to nothing. Quick, get cold water, logic. I am pouring it over myself by the bucketload but the logic sizzles on the hot bearings and dissipates elusive white steam into the air” (Zamyatin, 119). Through this passage one can see how this conflict deeply disturbs D-503 as he wants to go back to the way he believes before, but can not due to the new thoughts instilled upon him. The passage also shows the strong link of the machinery and technology of the One State and the individuals. D-503 is so set in his ways and mindset that he compares himself to technology, rather than that of nature, which is not apparent the One State side of the Green Wall. As D-503 continues to struggle with the idea that there might be more to life than the society he was born into, he continues to revert back to examples in which he can rely on from his own knowledge.
We - Journal, Topic A
"At dawn, I awoke with a pink, strong firmament right in my eyes. All was good, round. This evening O is coming here. I am undoubtedly already healthy. I smiled and fell back asleep.
The morning bell. I get up and everything is totally different; through the glass of the ceilings and walls, all around, everywhere, it is foggy. Crazy clouds, some heavy, some lighter, are getting closer, and there is already no distinction between the earth and the sky, everything is flying, melting, falling with nothing to catch on to. There are no more buildings: the glass walls have dispersed in the fog, like crystal salts in water. If you look up from the sidewalk, the dark figures of people in buildings are like suspended particles in a delirious, milky solution - some low-hanging and some higher up, and others, higher still, on the tenth floor. And everything is billowing - as though some kind of inaudible fire was raging somewhere." (Zamyatin, 62)
In this section of the novel D-503 describes the his society, the One State, through the change that he is beginning to go through. Originally, D-503 states that the society is organized with every individual having their own job, but communally working together for the good of the One State. The primary goals of the governing body are to work together through the use of math and science as the main emphasis on the community. D-503 is the Builder of the Integral, which illustrates the importance of his job, due to it being capitalized; although, this contradicts itself with the idea that everyone should conform to the One State.
This passage indicates the shift of society through the eyes of D-503. Starting off D-503 believes that everything he knows is safe, therefore comforting (ie, his schedule). When D-503 gets up, he sees that the sound structure of the city has changed from how he saw it before. This shift that D-503 sees is far different from the straight, solid buildings of the One State. The One State is supposed to be logical, structural, and schedule-based, due to the strong emphasis on mathematics. As D-503 can not differentiate the sky from the buildings, the haze represents an overbearing of emotions in which D-503 has begun to experience, as well as foreshadowing the new/outside events to come. The society that D-503 has been accustomed to completely changes in his mind as he opens up to thoughts and ideas that the society has kept repressed for thousands of years.
The morning bell. I get up and everything is totally different; through the glass of the ceilings and walls, all around, everywhere, it is foggy. Crazy clouds, some heavy, some lighter, are getting closer, and there is already no distinction between the earth and the sky, everything is flying, melting, falling with nothing to catch on to. There are no more buildings: the glass walls have dispersed in the fog, like crystal salts in water. If you look up from the sidewalk, the dark figures of people in buildings are like suspended particles in a delirious, milky solution - some low-hanging and some higher up, and others, higher still, on the tenth floor. And everything is billowing - as though some kind of inaudible fire was raging somewhere." (Zamyatin, 62)
In this section of the novel D-503 describes the his society, the One State, through the change that he is beginning to go through. Originally, D-503 states that the society is organized with every individual having their own job, but communally working together for the good of the One State. The primary goals of the governing body are to work together through the use of math and science as the main emphasis on the community. D-503 is the Builder of the Integral, which illustrates the importance of his job, due to it being capitalized; although, this contradicts itself with the idea that everyone should conform to the One State.
This passage indicates the shift of society through the eyes of D-503. Starting off D-503 believes that everything he knows is safe, therefore comforting (ie, his schedule). When D-503 gets up, he sees that the sound structure of the city has changed from how he saw it before. This shift that D-503 sees is far different from the straight, solid buildings of the One State. The One State is supposed to be logical, structural, and schedule-based, due to the strong emphasis on mathematics. As D-503 can not differentiate the sky from the buildings, the haze represents an overbearing of emotions in which D-503 has begun to experience, as well as foreshadowing the new/outside events to come. The society that D-503 has been accustomed to completely changes in his mind as he opens up to thoughts and ideas that the society has kept repressed for thousands of years.
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