Memories of Life Before Government Control: Orwell's 1984, Atwood's The Handmaids Tale, and Huxley's Brave New World

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Overbearing governments can change every aspect of society but people’s memories and their stories of the past cannot be completely altered to forget what life was like. Society uses these memoires to compare it to the new way of ruling which sometimes is less favorable to the individual. Governments try to change people’s opinions of reality which proves to be impossible. Within the novels, 1984 by George Orwell, The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley the Governments have taken society's freedom away and all that remains are the memories of what life was like before the changes; the main characters are constantly using the past as a way to survive through the difficult times.

Winston in 1984 uses his memories to cope with being watched all the time. In addition, he uses his memories to convince his lover of a time when there was no Big Brother watching over them. Offred, in The Handmaids Tale uses her vivid memories of her former life to survive. They give her hope that one day these new rules will someday disappear and life will go back to the way it was. When John, a man from the reservation in Brave New World is brought to the new world he has difficulties fitting into to society because he is so used to the "old" way of doing things.

In 1984 by George Orwell, the government of Big Brother is overbearing and all knowing which crushes freedom of speech and free thought. Big Brother easily edits history and tries to convince people that reality is something different. The main character, Winston can remember what life was like before Big Brother and when he first comes into power. The memory of his father being vaporized also serves as a catalyst for his hatred of Big Brother and leads him...

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...y 190). But Lenina doesn’t see. She is too set in her ways and John is too set in his ways. The pressure to fit in society is eventually too much for John; he cannot survive without living the way he is used to.

All three novels portray an overbearing government that gives very little freedoms to the individual. In 1984 by George Orwell, The Handmaids Tale by Margret Atwood, and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, the characters do not adjust to the new rules of society. Winston cannot escape Big Brother no matter how hard he tries and he is unsuccessful in spreading the lies of the government. Offred is constantly being reminded of her old free life longs to escape back to her husband and daughter. John becomes so stressed with the way modern society is he kills himself. All three characters cling to their memories of good times in order to survive the bad times.

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