Abstract

“Freedom is Slavery”

A Comparison between the Utopian/ Dystopian Societies in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and Lois Lowry’s The Giver

This essay investigates the tension between a strictly controlled society and individual freedom in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) and Lois Lowry’s The Giver (1993). The novels deal with two different controlled societies, Sameness in The Giver which seems to be utopian– but is soon revealed as dystopian and Oceania in Nineteen Eighty -Four which is a dystopian. This is described in The Giver by a society without conflict or illness and in Nineteen Eighty-Four with total control of the citizens by the leaders of the society. The control is also shown by the leaders’ way to control the language used by the citizens in both societies. In The Giver the citizens are manipulated while using words that indirectly mean something different as “pass away” instead of “die” with the intention of maintaining peaceful thoughts. In Nineteen Eighty- Four their language is rewritten in order to create a language without distinctions with the purpose of controlling the citizens’ minds and feelings and thereby have no rebellious opinions. The aim of this essay is to compare and contrast the mechanisms used to control the individuals in the societies in the two novels, and the impact these mechanisms have on individuals. I claim that although the writers are using the utopian idea of the societies I argue that they are in fact dystopian and that the two protagonists respond differently towards the social control other than the rest of the citizens in order to achieve freedom and happiness.

This investigation shows that even if the governments in both novels try to maintain full control over the citizens, by Telescreens, and Thought Police in Nineteen Eighty-Four and microphones in The Giver, there are some people who resist living under social control. The protagonists understand that a life without love, intimacy and free thoughts is not acceptable for them and they both revolt against the Government.

My conclusion is that the novels suggest that it is impossible to maintain total control of the citizens in order to create a perfect society.  Not everyone accepts living under social control and there will always be someone who questions the leaders and their way of ruling their society. The title refers to the fact that governments in the novels believe in control of their society and when the citizens live under full control they live, as the government think, a free life.