The novel “We” by Yevgeny Zamyatin individuality versus conformism is a very important theme that pervades throughout the whole novel. D-503 is perfectly happy accepting the strict system of one state as well as forfeiting his privacy. He even praises the society for how flawlessly it is put together and he scorns the small amount of unscheduled time that he has and dreams of the time when even that space will be filled. I-330 is the opposite of D-503 and has no intent of going along with OneState. She seduced D-503 and countless others to gain control of them and whatever power and access they have. I-330 opens D-503’s eyes to the corruption of OneState and drives him insane. Zamyatin uses D-503 and I-330 to portray a contrast in the ways to live, to go along with society and be blind to the corruption, or rebel against it and become corrupt as well.
My favorite quote, "They could create only by whipping themselves up to attacks of 'inspiration'- some unknown form of epilepsy" (17-18). In a society in which even the creative aspects of life, such as music and poetry, is generated by a machine, true creativity and inspiration are idiotic to these people. Poetry and music's only use is to praise OneState or the Benefactor. To think of the arts as mathematical and precise is incomprehensible because it is the complete opposite. The arts are supposed to be chaotic and inspired by ideas and passion, to have it perfectly structured and correct is against the nature of it.
I like this work because it gives me a greater appreciation for the creative freedom that is available for me. OneState is a mathematical and logical society that loved precision and equations. I like how everything is extreme and dramatic, such as the absolute lack of privacy, the schedules, pink slips, and emotionless executions. I like how the author made every aspect of this society so unbearably strict to show his point of view.
This quote also shows OneState’s tyrannical view of the individual. When individual people felt certain strong emotions or passions, they express it through some form of artistic media, whether it be music, poetry, or painting. However, in OneState, emotions are seen are a useless human function that should be suppressed, if felt at all. This mockery toward inspiration demonstrates how necessary it actually is to our society. Without inspiration, culture would be completely devoid of anything, and we as humans would have to unhealthily keep down our many thoughts, feelings, and emotions. OneState fails to see the importance of the individual, but through the irony portrayed in We, we as an audience can appreciate the necessity of singularity and the many virtues it brings.
ReplyDeleteI also love the quote you used. It really displays the society as a whole for what it is: mathematical, precise, unimaginative. Also, this quote has a degree of hilarity, which I think is very important to the novel, and to our understanding of the novel. Without the author adding statement like this into the novel, we really wouldn't be able to comprehend how strict or mechanical this society is in comparison to the crazy, wonderful, chaotic world we live in.
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