Dictatorships

The origins and impact of dictatorships, whether they be at home, in the city, or in a nation, are among the most predominant of the novel's many themes. The main characteristics of all the dictatorships considered by the narrative is that each is led by a particularly strong, self-righteous personality, and each sees the followers of that personality experience and/or manifest deep emotional and psychological attachment to that personality (to the point where the followers' lives are defined by that personality's will). Other common characteristics include how the personalities at the head of the dictatorships under consideration make use of and manipulate their image, and how violence (emotional, physical, psychological) plays a role in both the maintenance of authority (i.e., the manipulation of the followers) and the manifestation among the followers of that previously discussed attachment.

The book's title is a manifestation of its multifaceted exploration...