Dystopian Novel: We, Topic C

Personally, I do not think that the dystopian society that is presented in We is very relevant or frightening to a country like the United States. I can’t really make an accurate judgment as to whether or not Zamyatin was using a mathematical base as an example of one way a society could be structured, or if that was his actual vision. In the case of the latter, I do not believe that the United States is at any risk of such. However, in the case of the former, I do believe that Zamyatin’s warning does ring true. I personally believe that the United States is in a good position, one of the best in the world actually, regarding a relationship between a government and its people. However, I also believe that there is always room for more control, and it takes a skeptical, vigilant and politically active populace to prevent something like what is described in We.

The hope, or alternative that is given by Zamyatin is a society that is not controlled mathematically, in which individuals determine their own lives and are not under the oppressive thumb of a totalitarian regime disguised as happiness. He presents a alternative that focuses very much on humanity as a concept, separated from the restrictions of predetermined life. Zamyatin makes the point that a society without complete control is going to have crime, poverty and conflict, but he also argues that these elements are naturally part of a society in which the populace has individual freedoms.

Dystopian Novel: We, Topic B

The character that I have chosen for my second topic is mathematician D-503. In We, D-503 resists the society created by the One State by exploring the human emotion of love. The epitome of this can be seen when D-503 engages in sexual intercourse with cipher I-330, whom he is not registered to. This is a highly criminal action in that all sexual actions in the One State must be regulated by the use of a pink ticket. Another way in which D-503 resists the One State is in his journal, in which he becomes more and more questioning of his loyalty to the One State, which becomes more and more conflicting with his feelings of love towards cipher I-330. Finally, D's resisitance comes to a climactic point when he chooses to sabatouge his own Intregral, fully demonstrating his detatchment from the One State and his former self.
D's attempt at sabatoge fails, however, as the Integral is saved, and is brought back down to earth safely. D also wakes up in his bed following the event, which leaves the validity of the matter doubtful. Ultimately, D's resistence is successfull only temporarily, as he is soon captured by the One State who performs an operation on him that eliminates all non-logical feelings and emotions, including his imagination. To ensure that his loyalty is sound, D witnesses the death of his beloved I-330 at the hands of the Benefactor, to whom his ultimate loyalty now lies.

Dystopian Novel: We, Topic A

"According to old custom, a dozen women adorned the unif of the Benefactor-not yet dry from the spray-with flowers. With the majestic stride of a high priest, he slowly descended, crossing slowly among the stands-and, after Him, the soft white branches of female hands and a uni-million storm of cries arose. And then those same cries were raised in honor of the assembly of Guardians, invisibly present somewhere here, in our rows. Who knows: It may be that the Guardians were foreseen in the fantasy of the ancient person, which conceived of gentle-terrible "archangles," assigned to each person at birth." (Zamyatin 44).

An element of dystopian society that can be seen in the text of this passage is the way in which the Benefactor is revered with a God-like appreciation. One way in which this is demonstrated is that “His” is capitalized, which is also done when referring to God. Another way in which Zamyatin demonstrates the public’s deistic view of the Benefactor is describing him as having the stride of a high priest, which again has religious imagery. Finally, Zamyatin describes the thousands of adorning civilians that cry out as he walks by, accompanied by twelve women, another way in which the Benefactor is personified as having God-like reverence.

In accordance with this, Zamyatin goes on to describe how these cries also are given for the Guardians, who are essentially the secret police of the society in We. It is mentioned that they are “invisibly present”, which gives the feeling to the reader, and perhaps someone living in the society itself, that they are always watching. Zamyatin goes on to compare the Guardians to archangels, again using religious imagery in the text. In doing this, the reader again has the feeling that the Guardians are an ever-present force, always watching the civilians, which is a strong characteristic of a dystopian society.