Totalitarianism: The Government of the Future
Totalitarianism:
The Government of the Future?
In both novels, 1984 by George Orwell and Handmaid’s Tale by Margret Atwood, the world in which the main characters live in is a totalitarian nation looking for utopia. Both main characters are presented as rebels against their governments but both worlds are very different. Winston Smith and Offred are looking for a way to beat their governments, and their rebellion leads them to similar situations. They both gain friends and information to help their rebellion, but their outcomes are very different. “Reviewers of Margaret Atwood 's The Handmaid 's Tale invariably hailed it as a "feminist 1984,"1 and, like many handy tags, this one conceals a partial truth. A closer look, however, reveals not only the similarities between the two novels ' totalitarian societies, but the ways in which Atwood 's work goes beyond Orwell 's, in matters of style that become matters of substance as well as in the feminist debate over "essentialism" that Atwood brings to the dystopian tradition.” (Feuer The calculus) The modes of oppression used in The Handmaid’s Tale and 1984 serve the same purpose, but the implementation is different.
Both novels present the reader with a world dominated by government which is trying to reach a utopia when in fact they are living in dystopia. “But should we try too hard to enforce Utopia, Dystopia rapidly follows; because if enough people disagree with us we’ll have to eliminate or suppress or terrorize or manipulate them, and then we’ve got 1984.”(Atwood Writing with Intent) The governments have overtaken society and placed fear in their people. Large wars are supported by the governments, but the actual fighting of these wars are questionable. Both societies are laced with fear, which is the ultimate power.
In 1984, Winston Smith’s totalitarianism government is run by “the man”. Big Brother is watching everything that happens in the nation of Oceania. Large posters are around the
The Government of the Future?
In both novels, 1984 by George Orwell and Handmaid’s Tale by Margret Atwood, the world in which the main characters live in is a totalitarian nation looking for utopia. Both main characters are presented as rebels against their governments but both worlds are very different. Winston Smith and Offred are looking for a way to beat their governments, and their rebellion leads them to similar situations. They both gain friends and information to help their rebellion, but their outcomes are very different. “Reviewers of Margaret Atwood 's The Handmaid 's Tale invariably hailed it as a "feminist 1984,"1 and, like many handy tags, this one conceals a partial truth. A closer look, however, reveals not only the similarities between the two novels ' totalitarian societies, but the ways in which Atwood 's work goes beyond Orwell 's, in matters of style that become matters of substance as well as in the feminist debate over "essentialism" that Atwood brings to the dystopian tradition.” (Feuer The calculus) The modes of oppression used in The Handmaid’s Tale and 1984 serve the same purpose, but the implementation is different.
Both novels present the reader with a world dominated by government which is trying to reach a utopia when in fact they are living in dystopia. “But should we try too hard to enforce Utopia, Dystopia rapidly follows; because if enough people disagree with us we’ll have to eliminate or suppress or terrorize or manipulate them, and then we’ve got 1984.”(Atwood Writing with Intent) The governments have overtaken society and placed fear in their people. Large wars are supported by the governments, but the actual fighting of these wars are questionable. Both societies are laced with fear, which is the ultimate power.
In 1984, Winston Smith’s totalitarianism government is run by “the man”. Big Brother is watching everything that happens in the nation of Oceania. Large posters are around the
Cited: Atwood, Margret. The Handmaid 's Tale. New York: 1986. Atwood, Margret. Writing with Intent. Carroll and Graf Publishers. NYC. 2005. Feuer, Lois. "The calculus of love and nightmare: The Handmaid 's Tale and the dystopian tradition." Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction v38n2(1997): 83-95. Gabilliet, Jean-Paul. "Anti- Americanism And Colonial Critique In The Haindmaid." (1998) 11. 12 Apr 2007 <http://www.edutemps.fr/extrait/EX1hand.pdf>. Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanoich, Inc., 1949.