The Repressive Governments Of Zamiatin's We And Orwell's 1984

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respective books 1984 and We.
These novels depict, ". . . mechanized societies whose citizens are
deprived of freedom through physical and psychological conditioning." (Bloom 17)
The amazing thing about these civilizations is that the majority of the
citizenry, at least publicly, applauds the government's totalitarian actions.
Both Zamiatin's We and Orwell's 1984 have governments that repress thought and
action through the use of physical and physiological force.
One of the most visible ways the government of the United State is able
to control the thought and actions of its citizens is by the use and abuse of a
system by which each member of society receives a number at birth instead of
given a name (Goldstein 54). The numbers are assigned according to sex and
occupation. For example, D-503, the main character in We, is male, and is thus
assigned a consonant for his prefix while his female partner, O-90, is assigned
a vowel. As D-503 is an engineer, he receives a 5 as his ...

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to use any other Number as a sexual product." (Zamiatin 22)
This proclamation allowed any Number to file an application to enjoy the
services of another without their knowledge or consent. The Number would
receive a passbook by which he could visit the other Number and for fifteen
minutes lower the curtains of his apartment.
The curtains normally stay wide open so that everyone can see inside at
all times. Numbers are expected to watch each other for the most minute amount
of impropriety, through the clear glass walls, floor, and ceiling of the
apartments. Even this temporary lowering of the curtains doesn't completely
conceal the activities of those inside. A closed circuit ...

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