1984 and Handmaid’s Tale
1984 and the Handmaid’s Tale seem to have many similarities. They both consist of characters that are always being watched by their government and there is seemingly nowhere to hide. Winston Smith is the main character in 1984 who works as a government employee and his job involves the rewriting of history to favor his country’s leaders. He is always being watched by “Big Brother”, who causes people to disappear if they do not enjoy what they see. In the Handmaid’s Tale, they follow a woman named Offred, who is being used as a breeding stock for this society which has been overthrown by a totalitarian theocracy. These two novels happen to be very similar because they show a nightmarish view of these Communist societies. Both of their worlds show how by using religion to push their views on these people and control them into the extreme totalitarian regimes in connection to the roots of Communism.
These communities also use constant surveillance to prevent their citizens from disobeying their rules. They create a sense of fear for their people in forms of the “Thought Police” and “Eyes’’, in the Handmaid’s Tale. These stories both have police that invade their personal lives so that the characters are forced to conform to the government’s way of living and decrease anyones chance of rebelling due to being so scared. Cameras, as well as microphones are also used among both societies to record every movement and keep them in place so they do not stir up any trouble. For example, on page 169 of 1984 they state “There must have been microphones, they’ve heard us all.” This shows that in their worlds they have no privacy which makes it super challenging to successfully leave. This is also a continuing theme in the Handmaid’s Tale.
Both of these novels create a very strong sense of paranoia for the oppressive eyes everywhere and even use the posters of “Big Brother” to portray this by showing the eyes constantly following you. This is reflected in the Handmaid’s Tale when Offred doesn’t trust her walking partner, Ofglen, as she observes everything Offred does and is very suspicious of her. The two stories also show that if they were to disobey the rules of these societies, they would be harshly punished or even killed. In 1984, you will disappear and even be erased from history, becoming an un-person. In the Handmaid’s Tale, they often come across hung bodies with bags on their heads as form of punishment for being homosexual, being a different religion, or having sex outside of marriage. These are all values that conflict to their own so death is their punishment. These punishments are held to gain tighter control over the citizens and disarm them from leaving.
These two novels continue to have very similar themes throughout the stories and create strong senses of fear and being watched. The connections I have made truly show that these characters trying to escape their current situations is in fact very dangerous and the ruling government has far too much power over their people. The Communist governments paint a clear picture that we should never allow our governments to get this much control or gain too much power over us.
