William Boyajian
4/25/13
4/25/13
One thing that I thought was interesting about Winston was his extreme paranoia. It is clear that you can be punished in extreme ways for very minor slips, such as having the wrong facial expression at the wrong time. Winston says that "a nervous tic, an unconscious look of anxiety, a habit of muttering to yourself—anything that carried with it the suggestion of abnormality, of having something to hide" could result in one being vaporized (62). He is also constantly telling himself that he is going to get vaporized, along with Syne and any other smart people he comes across. However, it sometimes seems like he is overly paranoid. When he first starts writing the diary, even though he is out of range of the telescreen, he is extremely panicked, to the point where his writing is almost unintelligible. He is also paranoid about any looks he receives from people. While he is eating lunch, the dark-haired girl looks at him "in a sidelong way, but with curious intensity" (61). This makes him automatically assume the worst, that she is a member of the Thought Police and is monitoring him. Winston also thinks that he is completely alone, and that everyone, except for possibly O'Brien, supports Big Brother completely. However, he has done a very good job at fooling everyone, so it could be that many other people are in the same situation as him. While some of his reactions might be unnecessary, his paranoia has probably saved him from being vaporized. He is constantly watching his actions so that he does not show in any way what is actually going on in his head. Unfortunately, he is now convinced that he is going to be vaporized sooner or later, so he might be more willing to take risks, such as starting the diary.
It's interesting - I don't think Winston's paranoia is unfounded. That's part of what makes such pervasive control effective, because once you suggest the presence of danger, people become more fearful of consequence. Winston seems paranoid, but not without good reason, in his society.
ReplyDeleteI think its interesting that paranoia can be so crippling, but also so helpful when performing rebellious actions. Similar to Winston, Katniss also feels a great deal of paranoia. In order to survive, she ventures outside the confines of her district, breaking one of the bigger rules set by the Capitol. Because of this, she is constantly on the lookout for peacekeepers who might report her. Even when she is inside the fence, she often pauses mid conversation to think about what might happen if somebody is listening in on what she says.
ReplyDeleteI think that the purpose of the Thought Police is to create this sort of paranoia - the idea that they can and will find you at the first uncensored thought. Even though the Thought Police does not seem to have that much control, as Winston has not yet been vaporized, the illusion of control keeps the people afraid and encourages them to act as if the government is watching. The Thought Police is very similar to the Eyes from A Handmaid's Tale, a secretive force that monitors not only how you act, but how you think as well. When citizens do not even feel safe within their own mind, there is very little they can do to rebel.
ReplyDeleteReally interesting post William! The feeling of paranoia spans all of the other societies we have studied. When I first read this post, i couldn't help but think of Offred and the Handmaids tale. Throughout the novel, Offred was constantly in a state of paranoia. From her meetings with the commander, to simply going to the market, she was never at ease. One thing you said that caught my eye was regarding how Winston felt "completely alone". This lonesome feeling occurs in The Road, The Handmaids Tale, and in A Brave New World. In The Road, the father and the boy are constantly watching their backs, while at the same time being completely alone. The extreme paranoia they feel when traveling is completely justified, considering they could die at any moment. It seems as if in all of these dystopian futures, the citizens of every society all feel a certain paranoia. The people of A Brave New World should feel very paranoid over all of the liberties they lost, however they are in a drug induced happy state all the time. Over all these societies, it seems as if infertility, tyrannical governments, desolate, dangerous environments, and extreme drug use all counter in to extreme paranoia of the citizens.
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