We by Yevgeny Zamyatin is arguably the first dystopian novel written, before George Orwell 1984. This work is rather interesting in that there is no sense of a definitively wholesome protagonist presented for the reader to follows. The story is told through the journal entries of a lead architect, who is working on a ship to go out into space. He in many aspects tends to be quite fickle. There are many moments where he may become so fascinated by the simplest of colors because he so used to transparency, while in other cases he finds human individuality and curiosity to be trivial and there are some entries where he even insulted or mocks it.
This as a result gives him an internal conflict that is fairly interesting to read through and watch him either unfold or refasten himself. It is through these journal entries that you discover why he so contradictory to even himself and to my surprise even feared his own primal emotions. In this dystopian novel the world is defined by order, clarity, reason and functionalism. There is no use for anything in his world unless it derives a certain purpose. However, the purpose that must present a reason and cannot be that of a personal or primal one. Most of the supporting cast including himself would conclude that having thoughts and needs such as these are selfish barbaric and savage like. It is through the supporting characters and interactions that the main character has that the author gives reference to the primal audience likely reading the novel.
The way the main character speaks is also very intriguing because he speaks as if everything around him is an equation and makes far more sense to him than the average human. In some cases one who reads this may consider this childlike and arrogant. This allows the author to use the plot device of the green wall in order for the reader to empathize with what this man has become, due to the world around him The green wall is a round barrier that surrounds society and keeps the civilians void of the outside world. Although, it is also through his dialect that the author is able to give mentions to mathematics and physics through language.
The entire point of We and the reason there is no pleasant or distinctly painful way to feel about this character is because we as humans sympathize with wanting to blend in and give back to society, and to watch the system turn against this man and completely mold his way of thinking and living can be painful and self-destructive, or extremely fascinating it depends on how the reader takes it. Yevgeny Zamyatin was an author during the height of the Soviet era. This book was intended to explain why the uniform like aspects of communism were not right for human people, and displaying it within a man who has become obsessed with order, the real numbers of reality, and the lifelessness of color Yevgeny Zamyatin has surely made his point.
Be First to Comment