The dystopian society that the movie V for Vendetta depicts, is similar to that of George Orwell's novel 1984 which is is set in the future in a dystopian society called Oceania. Ruled by an oppressive government always surveilling it's peoples every action and thought, the society finds itself broken apart from fear. Unity is non-existent in both of these worlds, all caused by fear and/or ignorance. In 1984, the people are watched by a figure representing the government called "Big Brother". In V for Vendetta, the people are ruled by the leader of Great Brittan called "Chancellor Sutler". It's not known if Big Brother is real, but Chancellor Sutler is an actual person and yet they are both effective in making sure there is no unity among its people. I think the main theme both these stories share is the power of unity. In both, the people don't question the government, work together, or even seem to care about their freedom and well-being. The only way to change the society they live in is to unite and fight. the governments in both dystopias know there is strength in unity, they may not show fear of that, but they do everything they can to stop the people from becoming united. If the people came together to fight for the same cause of social change, there would be nothing the government could do to stop them.
I find this source to be very interesting because while watching the film, it never occurred to me how similar it was to 1984. After reading that book, I now have a better understanding of what is happening in V for Vendetta as they are relateable and the "dystopian societies" that each story line carries are so different from the societies that we live in and the lives that we lead that it is interesting seeing how different governments rule. The evaluation of comparing the two stories opened a lot of doors for ideas as we continue to watch V for Vendetta
ReplyDeleteThis is the best connection that i have read. I completely agree with the theme that you have depicted from the film and the novel. Unity is something that we all need to have a nation ran by the people. A nation can be ran by anyone if they have enough power to first separate peoples unity. Once unity is broken then the ruler can strike fear into them, so that the people of the nation are too afraid to ever have unity again. In a way broken unity can cause fear.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your connection to the film, and wish to hear more about it in class.