The Importance of Free Will in 1Q84, by Haruki Murakam and A Clockwork Orange, by Stanley Kubrick

1335 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: robinson crusoe as a vision of utopia

In Haruki Murakami’s novel, 1Q84, the idea of man creating the ideal world is explored. What starts off as a temporary refuge, develops into a community with the ultimate goal of becoming a utopia. However as this utopia develops, the population becomes increasingly blind and naïve. In the process, they lose their morality in favor of subordination, following the wills of those standing above them. Likewise, in A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess introduces a world that strives to wipe out radical thought. By means of brainwashing experiments, these radicals are forced to conform to societal definitions of ‘good’. These individuals lose their humanity as a byproduct of these tests, which brings our attention to the question of human ethics and what is really right or wrong. The two books show that in the attempt to achieve a utopian society, it is impossible for mankind to stay in touch with their humanity.

In trying to create a utopian society, man is stripped of what makes him human, reducing him to a mere puppet. 1Q84 illustrates an unlikely love story between Aomame, a physical trainer and deep-massage specialist who receives assassination jobs, and Tengo, an aspiring novelist and cram school math teacher. Through traveling to a parallel world, the two find themselves entangled into Sakigake, a complicated cult religion that involves non-human beings. Worshippers, as well as their head, Tamotsu Fukuda, known as ‘the Leader’, are devoid of conventional human behaviors, succumbing to the will of the Little People, mysterious beings that only the chosen can perceive. Aomame, when she confronts the cult, “could not help but feel…[like a] bag of meat” when “stared at by [the Leader]”, “he was just viewing her as an object” (Murak...

... middle of paper ...

... good nor evil, just a shell (Burgess 115).

In a perfect utopia, everyone would share a common goal and work hand in hand to achieve that goal. In theory this environment would be the ideal place for humanity. However, in practice, it is in this environment that humans lose their individuality, being treated and viewing others as just bodies, no longer having the choice or freedom to make decisions for self-gain. Without evil, what can be considered good? And without good what would be the purpose of society. Everyone would become machines, stripped of human behavior and emotions. Although there will be no more violence in this perfect society, but will there be any happiness?

Works Cited

Burgess, Anthony. A Clockwork Orange. London: Penguin, 1996. Print.

Murakami, Haruki, Jay Rubin, and Philip Gabriel. 1Q84. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2011. Print.

Show More
Related

  • Fahrenheit 451 And 1984 - The Fear Of Utopia

    1240 Words  | 3 Pages

    Several conflicting frames of mind have played defining roles in shaping humanity throughout the twentieth century. Philosophical optimism of a bright future held by humanity in general was taken advantage of by the promise of a better life through sacrifice of individuality to the state. In the books Brave New World, 1984, and Fahrenheit 451 clear opposition to these subtle entrapments was voiced in similarly convincing ways. They first all established, to varying degrees of balance, the atmosphere and seductiveness of the “utopia” and the fear of the consequences of acting in the non-prescribed way through character development. A single character is alienated because of their inability to conform – often in protest to the forced conditions of happiness and well being. Their struggle is to hide this fact from the state’s relentless supervision of (supposedly) everything. This leads them to eventually come into conflict with some hand of the state which serves as the authors voice presenting the reader with the ‘absurdity’ of the principles on which the society is based. The similar fear of the state’s abuse of power and technology at the expense of human individuality present within these novels speaks to the relevance of these novels within their historical context and their usefulness for awakening people to the horrendous consequences of their ignorance.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Critic Roland Barthes's 'The Kite Runner'

    1354 Words  | 3 Pages

    The only thing that separates humans from the savagery of mere animals is our ability to distinguish right from wrong. Throughout thousands of years of evolution and our own constant road towards an unstable future, humans have long grappled with morals and ethics. It is up to the individual to determine what they believe to hold true in situations that test their values. Literature shows us scenarios to interpret without the risk of real experiences - literature tests our ideas of what it means to be “a good person”. Critic Roland Barthes describes literature as “the question minus the answer”. In the novel The Kite Runner by Hoseinni, we see through the eyes of an Afghan boy named Amir as he continuously makes selfish decisions fueled by

    Read More

  • Comparing the Philosophies of Brave New World and Anthem

    1185 Words  | 3 Pages

    The books Brave New World by Aldus Huxley and Anthem by Ayn Rand are both valuable twentieth-century contributions to literature. Both books explore the presence of natural law in man and propose a warning for what could happen when man's sense of right and wrong is taken from him. In this essay, I hope to show how these seemingly unrelated novels both expound upon a single, very profound, idea.

    Read More

  • Compare Dystopia And Modern Society

    706 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rollo May, a psychologist, once said that, “in the utopian aim of removing all power and aggression from human behavior, we run the risk of removing self-assertion, self-affirmation, and even the power to be”. As a contemporary population, daily life has advanced from a comprehension; introducing utopian qualities would have domino effects on different human rights of a hindsight apparistic nation. Modern societies similar to a utopia has a larger entity that undermines the community within different aspects but nevertheless runs the risk of becoming a society with dystopian features by illusions of authoritarian rule.

    Read More

  • Brave New World: A Struggle Between the Genius and the Mediocre

    918 Words  | 2 Pages

    After the publishing of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, modern literature has changed forever. It is considered a masterpiece and one of the pillars of the dystopian novel. However, both of those affirmations can be called into question. The former based on a subjective opinion of a reader and the latter through compromising its dystopian nature. Similarly to George Orwell’s novels, the main appeal of Brave New World is within the ideas it contains, not within its literary merits. Huxley’s talent is essentially composed of his ideas and the attitude he assumes towards the problems he presents. He took full advantage of his endowment in Brave New World Revisited, a non fiction work sequel to Brave New World. The sequel is devoid of a mediocre narrative in favour of factual information and proposing solutions of the tackled problems. Simply put, Brave New World Revisited is what Brave New World should have been.

    Read More

  • Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

    863 Words  | 2 Pages

    Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” highlights the theme of society and individualism. Huxley uses the future world and its inhabitants to represents conflict of how the replacement of stability in place of individualism produces adverse side effects. Each society has individuals ranging from various jobs and occupations and diverse personalities and thoughts. Every member contributes to society in his or her own way. However, when people’s individuality is repressed, the whole concept of humanity is destroyed. In Huxley’s “Brave New World”, the concept of individualism is lost through hyperbolized physical and physiological training, the artificial birth and caste system, and the censorship of religion and literature by a suppressing government.

    Read More

  • Why Is Brave New World A Future Dystopia

    1413 Words  | 3 Pages

    Aldous Huxley is a visionary for his philosophy that we as humans will be destroyed if one must adhere to be just as the rest of society, and for creating a dystopia that echoes todays world in the United States. Brave New World is a novel by Aldous Huxley, which portrays life in a future dystopia, and the repercussions of removing intellectual challenges and morality from a society. Huxley’s goal in writing Brave New World may have been to stop a trend that has already begun: society shaming individuals for being different, as well as the mechanization of the modern world.

    Read More

  • Humanity in Brave New World

    1345 Words  | 3 Pages

    For years, authors and philosophers have satirized the “perfect” society to incite change. In Brave New World, Aldous Huxley describes a so-called utopian society in which everyone is happy. This society is a “controlled environment where technology has essentially [expunged] suffering” (“Brave New World”). A member of this society never needs to be inconvenienced by emotion, “And if anything should go wrong, there's soma” (Huxley 220). Citizens spend their lives sleeping with as many people as they please, taking soma to dull any unpleasant thoughts that arise, and happily working in the jobs they were conditioned to want. They are genetically altered and conditioned to be averse to socially destructive things, like nature and families. They are trained to enjoy things that are socially beneficial: “'That is the secret of happiness and virtue – liking what you've got to do. All conditioning aims at that: making people like their inescapable social destiny'” (Huxley 16). Citizens operate more like machinery, and less like humans. Humanity is defined as “the quality of being human” (“Humanity”). To some, humanity refers to the aspects that define a human: love, compassion and emotions. Huxley satirizes humanity by dehumanizing the citizens in the Brave New World society.

    Read More

  • Thomas More’s Utopia and Aldus Huxley’s Brave New World

    2373 Words  | 5 Pages

    Thomas More’s Utopia and Aldus Huxley’s Brave New World , are novels about societies that differ from our own. Though the two authors have chosen different approaches to create an alternate society, both books have similarities which represent the visions of men who were moved to great indignation by the societies in which they lived. Both novels have transcended contemporary problems in society , they both have a structured, work based civilization and both have separated themselves from the ways of past society. It is important when reading these novels to focus on the differences as well as the similarities. The two novels differ in their views of love, religion, and the way to eliminate social classes. These differences seem to suggest that if we do not come closer to More’s goal in Utopia, we will end up in a society much like that of Huxley’s Brave New World.

    Read More

  • Faulkner's A Rose for Emely and Kate Chopin's Story of an Hour

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...g. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 12th ed. New York: Pearson, 2013. 549-51. Print.

    Read More

  • Triumph of Free Will in Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange

    2649 Words  | 6 Pages

    Amidst a population composed of perfectly conditioned automatons, is a picture of a society that is slowly rotting from within. Alex, the Faustian protagonist of A Clockwork Orange, and a sadistic and depraved gang leader, preys on the weak and the innocent. Although perhaps misguided, his conscientiousness of his evil nature indicates his capacity to understand morality and deny its practice. When society attempts to force goodness upon Alex, he becomes the victim. Through his innovative style, manifested by both the use of original language and satirical structure, British author Anthony Burgess presents in his novella A Clockwork Orange, the moral triumph of free will within the controlling hands of a totalitarian society.

    Read More

  • Are We Living in a Dystopian Novel?

    940 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1932, Aldous Huxley wrote a thrilling dystopia titled Brave New World. Centered on a man struggling in a world where emotions have been forsaken for peace and stability of the entire community, the novel has a shock factor that is quite electric. Though it was popular in the 1950’s with college students because of its portrayal of sex, the true merit of Huxley’s work can be found in its predictions for the future. The practices in the novel are alarming similar to many aspects of today’s society. The approval of drug use to induce happiness, the constant effort to make life better through technology and the everlasting trust in the government are all characteristics shared by our society and that found in Brave New World.

    Read More

  • Utopia Vs. Dystopia

    965 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the nineteenth century, man believed in the perfectibility of mankind and in the real possibility of an ultimate utopia, a time when man could all live together in peace. However, the events of the twentieth century have weakened that belief. Both cold and hot wars have followed each other in succession. Revolutions and civil wars have taken place and totalitarianism has become a fact that can hardly be ignored. Therefore, the modern age has become a time in which more anti-utopias have been envisioned than ever before.

    Read More

  • Brave New World Reflection Paper

    1313 Words  | 3 Pages

    Brave New World written in 1931 by Aldous Huxley (published in 1932), is a satirical piece of fiction that attempts to not only explore the effects of the overall advancement in technology and its effects on human beings, but, the ever-changing definitions of freedom, meaning and Individuality as well. In the following paper, the differences between freedom, individuality and meaning within the brave new world and within the real world will be discussed. Ultimately, this paper will come to show that the real world, despite its flaws, is the more “perfect” world to be living when compared to the brave new world because of the freedom that each human being beholds.

    Read More

  • Summary Of The Writing Of Mridula Garg And Arundhati Roy

    2242 Words  | 5 Pages

    The big things are no doubt powerful and able to control small things yet small things are no less important. The overall personality of a person is the results of various small things jointed together. The novel also talks about rules (big thing) and transgression (by small things), love laws and love, decisions and destructions. The novel clearly expresses that the world of decision-making is not a plain world where results tally with one’s assumptions. The result is an outcome of a number of inter-related factors and is always influenced by the meta-narrative of the society. The main characters of the novel i.e. Ammu, Velutha, Estha, Rahel, Chacko, Margaret Kochamma, Baby Kochamma, Pappachi, Mammachi and Sophie Mol are left in the novel (a miniature of the world) to create an identity of their own by accepting or denying the big things of life. “Neither is they chosen from the common rung of the society nor are their problems related to food, clothing and shelter. They are rebels and their rebellion is not so much directed against society as against individuals. Their problems are neither physical nor social. They are psychical and emotional” (Kunhambu 277). Of course in a society, knit with power relations, their places promise different level of freedom and consequences. The novel is important in displaying that in a universe of big things an individual can hardly find oneself

    Read More

More about The Importance of Free Will in 1Q84, by Haruki Murakam and A Clockwork Orange, by Stanley Kubrick

Open Document