Similarities Between 1984 And Number 12 Looks Just Like You

According the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a dystopia is defined as “an imaginary place where people are unhappy and usually afraid because they are not fairly treated” (Merriam-Webster). In terms of the two works analyzed here – George Orwell’s 1984 and the 1964 episode of The Twilight Zone titled “Number 12 Looks Just Like You” – the application of the term “dystopia” is an appropriate description of the realities presented; in both works society represses and subverts individual identity by erasing the past and through physiological manipulation. However, the average citizen does not view himself as being unfairly treated in either of these works. Curiously enough, these same societies also fall under the definition of a perfect society,

In essence, it is all about perception. When a society like those found in 1984 or “Number 12 Looks Just Like You” aim for perfection, there are two broad paths that they can follow in an effort to achieve their goals. Most obviously, the creation of perfection could be accomplished through the task of simply attempting to meet every individual standard that exists across the society. However, this is often an impossible task in practice considering the contrasting and often outright antithetical perceptions of perfection. Instead, dystopian works often depict societies that approach the path to perfection through the slightly more realistic task of creating perfection through the goal of eliminating or reducing the sheer variety of standards by which its citizens can judge their treatment and their happiness. The common methods by which 1984, “Number 12 Looks Just Like You”, and dystopian works as a whole seem to control the standards of perfection by which they are judged include the destruction of knowledge from the past as well as the subversion of the individual to prevent both new and old standards from being imposed on those that already hold the society as perfect. In both cases, a perfect reality is created by limiting, but still meeting, the standards of those that perceive it as perfect. In looking at the destruction of past thought – and thus past standards – both 1984 and “Number 12 Looks Just Like You” attempt to eliminate any ideas from the past that could spark notions of the imperfection of society. For instance, in “Number 12 Looks Just Like You”, the past is briefly mentioned in a conversation between the main character Marilyn Cuberle and her transformation doctor Professor