The Shared Study of Paired Texts:Nineteen Eighty-four and V for Vendetta

By studying one text in relation to another, students can see that the same idea, experience, emotion, or opinion can be treated in different ways. Students may explore ideas of intertextuality as their interpretation and understanding of the texts chosen for study are informed by their awareness of other texts. Each of the texts being studied forms part of the intertextual context for the other.

Nineteen Eighty-four’s dystopian narrative of totalitarianism, as well as its intertextual connection to V for Vendetta through the film’s Big Brother characterisation of the British Prime Minister (reinforced by casting John Hurt, who played Winston Smith in the 1984 film adaptation of Orwell’s novel), make significant connections.

V for Vendetta’s adaptation of a 1989 graphic novel, an Orwellian satire of Margaret Thatcher’s Britain, employs comic-book cinematography to graft a revenge melodrama onto a Matrix style political thriller, layered with intertextual allusions.

While setting and subject matter make V for Vendetta almost a mirror of Orwell’s dystopian vision, the film self-consciously transforms the novel’s bleak warning of a totalitarian future into a wish fulfilment fantasy of political liberation, lead not by Winston Smith’s tragically doomed Everyman, but an avenging superhero.

common themes, ideas, or topics the power of the state over the individual voyeurism human vulnerabilities and victimization sacrifice and redemption

historical or literary periods mid to late 20th C. modernism & its abuse of

political power vs. post-9/11 cynicism & the ‘war on terror’

genres feature film vs. novel political thrillers revenge quest vs. dystopia

cultural perspectives English (intellectual) vs. American (Wachowski

pop-psychology)

19841984A novel, a satire, a warning, a A novel, a satire, a warning, a text with many prescient and text with many prescient and

uncanny connections…uncanny connections…

““God is power” (p.276): God is power” (p.276): 1984’1984’s s metaphysical paradoxmetaphysical paradox

If God is power, he had to create the world so If God is power, he had to create the world so as to be perceivedas to be perceived

Winston Smith’s rebellion is created by Winston Smith’s rebellion is created by O’Brien in order for the party to reaffirm the O’Brien in order for the party to reaffirm the reality of its power, by creating the reality of its power, by creating the consciousness of its power: “a boot stamping consciousness of its power: “a boot stamping on a human face – for ever” cannot exist on a human face – for ever” cannot exist without a facewithout a face

2 + 2 = 52 + 2 = 5

The The onlyonly point in making Winston believe point in making Winston believe that two and two equals five is to break that two and two equals five is to break him:him:

Denying a belief for no reason (to act Denying a belief for no reason (to act withoutwithout reason) is a first step towards losing a sense of reason) is a first step towards losing a sense of self – it makes you irrational in the precise sense self – it makes you irrational in the precise sense of being unable to justify yourself to yourself.of being unable to justify yourself to yourself.

Room 101Room 101

Why are rats Winston's deepest fear?Why are rats Winston's deepest fear?

What is the psychological source of What is the psychological source of this fear?this fear?

101101

In his selfish and In his selfish and uncontrollable hunger as a uncontrollable hunger as a child, Winston denied his child, Winston denied his mother and tore himself mother and tore himself away from the primary bond away from the primary bond of belonging, loyalty and of belonging, loyalty and love.love.

In his uncontrollable fear of In his uncontrollable fear of the rats, Winston re-enacts the rats, Winston re-enacts that first act of betrayal: he that first act of betrayal: he offers up the body of the offers up the body of the only person he loves, as a only person he loves, as a surrogate for his own. When surrogate for his own. When he screams, "Do it to Julia" - he screams, "Do it to Julia" - offering her as a human offering her as a human sacrifice to the hungry rats - sacrifice to the hungry rats - he symbolically devours the he symbolically devours the one he loves.one he loves.

101101

In Room 101 he can no longer stay "in front of" In Room 101 he can no longer stay "in front of" the wall of darkness: he is forced to get over to the wall of darkness: he is forced to get over to "the other side" (p.297). And as the walls of the "the other side" (p.297). And as the walls of the private self are being destroyed, he feels that he private self are being destroyed, he feels that he is falling "through the floor, through the walls of is falling "through the floor, through the walls of the building, through the earth, through the the building, through the earth, through the oceans, through the atmosphere, into outer oceans, through the atmosphere, into outer space, into the gulfs between the stars - always space, into the gulfs between the stars - always away, away, away from the rats" (p.300)away, away, away from the rats" (p.300)

Room 101Room 101

O'Brien's experiment was successful: man O'Brien's experiment was successful: man is nothing but a beast who can be is nothing but a beast who can be degraded until he is deprived of his will to degraded until he is deprived of his will to become an instrument in the hands of the become an instrument in the hands of the Party.Party.

Room 101Room 101

BUT the starved rats, just like the child BUT the starved rats, just like the child Winston, were themselves the victims of Winston, were themselves the victims of the Party's brutality. Ultimately the real face the Party's brutality. Ultimately the real face behind the mask-like cage of the rats is the behind the mask-like cage of the rats is the face of Big Brother himself - who turns his face of Big Brother himself - who turns his subjects into ferocious, hate-filled beings subjects into ferocious, hate-filled beings like himself, forcing them to act out the like himself, forcing them to act out the ritual of his own prime betrayal as human ritual of his own prime betrayal as human sacrifice.sacrifice.

Room 101Room 101

In effect, all the citizens of Oceania are kept In effect, all the citizens of Oceania are kept in their cage, systematically starved, in their cage, systematically starved, deprived of food, love, sexual and deprived of food, love, sexual and emotional satisfaction, so that the Party emotional satisfaction, so that the Party may channel all their pent-up energy into may channel all their pent-up energy into the hysterical quest for new victims, the hysterical quest for new victims, leading to the equally hysterical worship of leading to the equally hysterical worship of their leader.their leader.

101101

But if Room 101 had But if Room 101 had always been waiting for always been waiting for Winston - as he had Winston - as he had often guessed and we often guessed and we now know - then where now know - then where is the shame and is the shame and personal responsibility? personal responsibility?

Here is the novel's Here is the novel's complex moral paradox.complex moral paradox.

101101

For thirty years Winston's sense of guilt has For thirty years Winston's sense of guilt has been a burden, but it also served as a been a burden, but it also served as a reminder that he still had a sense of reminder that he still had a sense of personal loyalty and could feel shame. In personal loyalty and could feel shame. In fact, it was this mysterious sense of guilt or fact, it was this mysterious sense of guilt or shame that made him start his search for shame that made him start his search for the Truth in the past, the search which led the Truth in the past, the search which led ultimately to moral regeneration.ultimately to moral regeneration.

101101

Significantly, once he Significantly, once he repeats his act of repeats his act of betrayal, he no longer betrayal, he no longer carries the burden of carries the burden of guilt - free of his sense guilt - free of his sense of humanity and basic of humanity and basic moral attitudes defining moral attitudes defining the private self. the private self.

Once reborn, united Once reborn, united with the collective self with the collective self

of Oceania, he is of Oceania, he is incapable of regret or incapable of regret or

guilt because he has no guilt because he has no further claim to a further claim to a

private conscience.private conscience.

101101

Room 101 provides the Room 101 provides the

climactic scene of the climactic scene of the

novel in which all novel in which all

betrayals are brought betrayals are brought

together in a series of together in a series of

symbolic reversals symbolic reversals

Face-to-face through Face-to-face through zerozero: reduced to : reduced to

nothingness through fear nothingness through fear and shame, Winston faces and shame, Winston faces

the rats in himselfthe rats in himself Repetition after a Repetition after a

reversalreversal: repeating the : repeating the childhood trial, Winston childhood trial, Winston

reverts to another state of reverts to another state of childhoodchildhood

101101

Room 101 is at the heart of the novel, Room 101 is at the heart of the novel,

wherein all betrayals are brought together in wherein all betrayals are brought together in

a series of continuous, repeated reversals:a series of continuous, repeated reversals: At the centre of the mythical (Oedipal), political At the centre of the mythical (Oedipal), political

(totalitarian), and psychological drama of (totalitarian), and psychological drama of

betrayal.betrayal.

It is here that any victim is turned victimiser by betraying It is here that any victim is turned victimiser by betraying his bond of private loyalty. Paradoxically, it is precisely at his bond of private loyalty. Paradoxically, it is precisely at this point that he will finally be trapped, 'chained' to this point that he will finally be trapped, 'chained' to become a true victim, willing to stay in his cage forever.become a true victim, willing to stay in his cage forever.

Ironically, it is by adjusting to the norm of the majority that Ironically, it is by adjusting to the norm of the majority that Winston has now become, finally, insane. Having joined in Winston has now become, finally, insane. Having joined in the collective insanity imposed on the population by Big the collective insanity imposed on the population by Big Brother, Winston now willingly joins the other rats in their Brother, Winston now willingly joins the other rats in their cage.cage.

10101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101101

Alan Kennedy argues that 1984 is not a prophecy or a warning but a challenge to our ability to read critically

Room 101 represents the enactment of the state’s power – as an absolute bondage between the state and its victim

Reading against the grain of the novel, we may reject O’Brien’s version of power by questioning the claim that all reality is in the mind or available in the form of knowledge ‘The Inversion of Form: Deconstructing 1984’, in George

Orwell, ed. by Graham Holderness, Bryan Loughrey and Nahem Yousaf (Basingstoke: Macmillan 1998)

Erika Gottlieb argues that room 101 reveals the psychodynamics of totalitarianism: Why Western intellectuals were susceptible to the

psychosis of nationalistic leader worship

Winston’s ordeal is that of Everyman – our common humanity in confrontation with the dehumanising forces of totalitarianism

The mask-like rat’s cage symbolises loss of face and Winston’s guilt for denying the fundamental values of the private self Dystopian Fiction East and West: Universe of Terror and

Trial. Montreal: McGill-Queen's UP, 2001

The efficiently repressive state induces in its subjects a perpetual state of guilt formed from the knowledge of betrayal – betrayal of the self, of others and ultimately of Big Brother.

Room 101

In the 1930’s, U.S. psychologist B.F. Skinner extended the work of Ivan Pavlov on conditioned reflexes in animals, by training a laboratory rat to press a small lever protruding from one wall of his specially designed box in order to obtain a pellet of food.

In 1948 he published one of his most controversial works, Walden Two, a novel on life in a utopian community modelled on his own principles of social engineering.

Room 101

NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOURNINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR

&&

Re-educating the self in Re-educating the self in Dystopian FictionDystopian Fiction

Irish Catholic resistance Appropriating the Shoah The philosophy of Thomas Hobbes Critical theory and spirituality –

Slavoj Žižek

Theoretical approaches to V

for Vendetta

“Grounds“ for comparison…

What you notice in the Nineteen Eighty-four passage

What you notice in V for Vendetta passage

What does the comparison reveal?

Narrative POV

Revelations

Tone

Stylistic features

Narrative context where does it appear in the

plot &/or narrative structure?

References to other works, ideas or images literary; political; artistic

Comparison by ‘tone’ The novel’s bleakness is still present

in this passage but it is modulated by the sense of security and freedom that Charrington’s room brings, with its association with the forbidden past and Julia’s love. The freedom of the past and the despair of the present are linked on p.150 when Winston contemplates ‘whether in the abolished past it had been a normal experience to lie in bed like this… making love when they chose’. And the doubts become focussed when the rat appears to invoke Winston’s nameless childhood terror, only to be forgotten by the sensuality of the present moment.

Comparison by ‘tone’: The same ‘split’ in tone between the

abject fear of Evey’s captivity and the nostalgia tinted memories of Valerie’s past run through the film episode. The literal tone of actors’ voices reflects this with the harshness of the faceless interrogator and the gentleness of Valerie’s voice-over narrator, which is paralled by the contrast in lighting (dark blue shadows vs. golden orange light) and camera movement (still, claustrophobic C.U. vs. flowing pans, zooms and occasional long shots)..

pp.103-107: ‘Winston knew the place well…’ to ‘IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH’

When Evey first meets V and he demolishes the Old Bailey

pp.128-133: ‘The first fragment of chocolate…’ to ‘It was a political act.’

Valerie’s story up to and including meeting Ruth on The Salt Flats set

pp. 186-189: ‘On the sixth day of Hate Week,…’ to ‘… an opportunity to look inside it.’

Prothero’s ‘voice of London’ on TV, while V and Evey put on their makeup.

pp.150-154: ‘Presently they fell asleep…’ to ‘…at the heart of the crystal.’

pp.230-234: ‘The birds sang,…’ to ‘…a member of the Thought Police.’

pp.296-300: ‘ “The worst thing in the world,”…’ to ‘…shut and not open.’

Parts of Evey’s incarceration, up to and including the roof top scene in the rain

Evey Hammond’s imprisonmentCritical reading of

a film sequence

2. Compare the ways in which the authors of two texts explore the idea that it is important to have something to hope for.

3. Compare the ways in which the authors of two texts explore the idea that redemption can be found even in the most adverse circumstances.

5. If your study involved paired texts of contrasting text types, compare the ways in which the authors use the conventional features of each text type to explore similar ideas.

6. Compare the ways in which the authors of two texts use hostile environments as a context for the exploration of ideas

10. How does the author of a prescribed text explore the idea that it is essential to confront the truth about the past?

12. How does the author of a prescribed text explore the idea that freedom is worth the cost?