Summary:
Two classic novels of the dystopian genre, George Orwell's "1984 and Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale," create an atmospheric gloom that quickly reveals the oppressive societies in each novel.
Both worlds of The Handmaid's Tale and 1984 are governed by a party or group which strictly monitor most aspects of the lives of its civilians. This imposing form of government is generally described as totalitarian and is heavily present throughout both novels. The "Dystopian" genre is named so due to its opposition to the rather more common idea of "utopia", a world of impracticable perfection in which a common goal of peace is pivotal.
The novels fall under this category of Dystopia and, from the very beginning of 1984 and from the opening chapters of The Handmaid's Tale this is instantly evident. Both subtle and unsubtle, the signs indicating a strict government are present and it is easy to see how closely monitored the general public are.
In even the first page of 1984 the reader is met by an ominous intrusion into the life of Winston Smith by the mention of the electrical current being shut off during daylight hours. This seems odd in itself, seeing that Winston is a free citizen of Oceania and the fact that there was no electricity as part of a collective economy drive indicates a domineering government intruding even into the electricity levels of the city.
Just a paragraph later we are introduced to the main party leader "Big Brother" in the form of a poster stating,
"BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU."
Written in capital letters in the book itself, this is obviously a key slogan for the government in power and one which instils fear if taken literally, which of course is the way in which it is intended. The idea that the party is always watching, even inside people's homes depicts totalitarianism in one of its highest forms, more so than even the Nazi regime managed to achieve.
Similarly in The Handmaid's Tale, The maids are always under the guard of some higher authority, be it the Aunts, Angels or Commanders. They are never left alone which ties into 1984, where Winston Smith is aloud no solitude. This idea is perhaps heightened in The Handmaid's Tale because of the feminist prose and the lack of freedom aloud to women.
An example of the oppression instantly made known in The Handmaid's Tale occurs on the second page, where the Handmaids are not even allowed to touch hands or talk (but do so anyway) in the night time, when the Aunts watch over them constantly. This is a sign of totalitarianism as even their nightly routines are closely scrutinised and monitored by government agents who set the original timetables.
"we could stretch out our arms, when the Aunts weren't looking, and touch each other's hands across space."
In a more traditional society, the women wouldn't even be sleeping in rows of beds in an old gym, let alone the embarrassment of disallowance of human contact both physically or through speech. This shows how the government is stamping it's foot down in a very totalitarian manner. The beginning of the novel reveals no real prospects for the Handmaid's and for Gileadian society itself and it can definitely be deemed as Dystopian.
The "heavy black moustache" of Big Brother also gives connotations of the Nazi regime in reference to Adolf Hitler. Both leaders are fairly similar in looks and this leads us on to perhaps thinking that both regimes may not be too dissimilar.
The opening passages of 1984 are a barrage of information that, after being sifted through, gives a good representation of the totalitarianism government of Oceania. Just after the first mention of Big Brother, Winston enters his flat.
"Inside the flat a fruity voice was reading out a list of figures....The voice came from and oblong metal plaque."
The fact that there is a constant government employed voice reeling off data trends within the privacy of Winston's home is a good example of the lengths the government goes to in order to always maintain priority in its members lives. The voice, while being susceptible to volume change, cannot be turned off and each word is always at a distinguishable level. This allows Winston no time alone with thoughts and creates a rather disturbing thought; no real solitude, something which Winston attempts to seek throughout the novel.
The Handmaid's Tale is as much about the inner oppression of the female voice as the reality of oppression in a more aesthetic sense.
There's a lot that doesn't bear thinking about. Thinking can hurt your chances, and I intend to last."
Margaret Atwood, in chapter two, describes from the Handmaid's point of view, how thinking is not an option. This is a clear sign of the stronghold the government has over its citizens. It has the ability to withhold thought from participants of the regime and to let them think that, to think, hurts your chances.
The next description in 1984 that suggests totalitarianism is that of the "party uniform," something which was fairly commonplace in Britain during the time that Orwell produced the novel, with the country having just been through the six year long second world war. The uniform is a very unflattering blue overall style outfit which de-individualises whoever adorns the obligatory dress.
Winston is made more gaunt by the gaping size of the overalls and his meagreness is emphasised. The uniform which was such a major part of British life during the war was trim and smart, and juxtaposed against the baggy plain blue overalls of the party there is a clear distinction which shows how different the two governments are. One aims to incorporate individuals and be fairly democratic, whilst the other is interested only in the power that the party can gain, disregarding all other areas that a regular, more centrally directed government would be involved with. Part of this totalitarian regime is, clearly, to de-emphasise the people involved and rather concentrate on what the party can achieve as a political force.
A de-individuation of character may also be true to The Handmaid's Tale. The blood red (a sign of fertility) worn by the Handmaids covers their entire body, including their hands via gloves and leaves little of the face exposed.
"The skirt is ankle-length, full, gathered to a flat yoke that extends over the breasts...I never looked good in red, it's not my colour."
Offred, the protagonist of the novel, describes her uniform here in this passage as highly unrevealing and unflattering. The Gileadian government do not want women to have any sort of status and by denying women their almost innate sense of expression through what they wear, de-individuates them and lowers both their status and more importantly, their morale and thus willingness to resist without avail.
A little further down the page there is a mention of the police patrols peering into people's homes in order to maintain party policy and make sure every party member is behaving. Winston unbelievably disregards this as unimportant, a sure sign that to tolerate nightly police patrols, a lot worse must be occurring in Oceania.
"Only the Thought Police mattered."
This is the extension of Winston's thoughts of what could be worse than the patrols. The thought police, although not yet described in any way, are clearly either highly technical spies or perhaps even infiltrators of thoughts, making them a very frightening prospect. This idea of a secret Gestapo being able to read minds is one which is terrifying in this totalitarian government run country that would punish their civilians for a mere thought crime.
The next totalitarian idea is the notion of the dual purpose telescreens. The television sets that are compulsory in every household,
"Received and transmitted simultaneously...any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it."
The screens also act not only as an audio dual machine, but also as a close circuit monitor spying on Winston's lounge (as well as performing the regular function of a television set). This leaves Winston no room for complacency and he has to be on guard at all times, even if secretly betraying the party in the miniscule ways he attempts.
We get another glimpse in the opening chapters of The Handmaid's Tale of the totalitarian regime in Gilead when Offred describes normalities to us as luxuries. Having her own money is merely a dream and here we can see how much the society has been changed and how large groups of people in Gilead (including all women) are denied the right to earn and keep their own money.
"money, money I had earned myself. I think about having such control."
Thinking back to the days before Gilead, it is clear that the current situation is a lot different to then for Offred. She has lost all personal freedom and is a modern sexual slave to the Commanders, men of high office in either the Gileadian government or the business sector. This is a perfect depiction of the totalitarian state that Gilead is in. Denied of the personal liberties we take for granted in a democratic society, Offred has to live under the rules of a higher authority and is controlled eve down to the minute aspects of living.
This is the complete article, containing 1,505 words
(approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page).
