Robert Anthony once said, “The opposite of bravery is not cowardice but conformity.” Zamyatin's We describes the pros and cons of conforming to a small group of people, to an authoritarian society in general, and to the extreme totalitarian society of a single state. Through the heroic actions of I-330, Zamyatin makes it clear that it is more admirable and beneficial to fight for change in a totalitarian government than to live ignorantly in oppression like D-503. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Although Zamyatin undeniably portrays a totalitarian society in a negative light, there are benefits that can be inferred from conforming and obeying an authoritarian regime. On a small scale, assimilating into a group of people allows you to feel more connected with your peers. This can be seen in the way D-503 experiences great joy and satisfaction upon joining the workers building the Integral: "I came down and mingled with them, merged with their mass, caught up in the rhythm of steel and glass… I was floating above a mirror sea” (79). Conforming to the majority is simply easier, and sometimes more natural and rewarding, than ostracizing yourself and attempting to fight the accepted societal norm. For example, when D-503 breaks the law by missing work and then lying to his co-worker about his absence, he feels great guilt and shame. He condemns himself and realizes that he will never again be able to feel comfortable with his colleagues, which causes him great pain, and he reflects: "I, a corrupt man, a criminal, was not at my place here. No, I will probably never again be able to blend into this mechanical rhythm, nor float on this mirror sea. From now on I must burn eternally, running from place to place, looking for a corner to hide my eyes” (80). It is clear from this passage that D-503 derives great pleasure from his conformity and unity with the workers, and that he regrets having ostracized himself from the group. On a larger scale, conforming to an authoritarian society guarantees security and possible advancement within the group. social hierarchy. To be more specific, authoritarian societies often have government forces such as the secret police (represented by the Guardians' Office in "Us") who monitor possible uprisings and acts of treason. Complying with authoritarian rule means not having to fear persecution by the state or, in extreme cases, execution. Also, the more an individual adheres to the authority of tyrannical societies, the more likely he is to advance in the social hierarchy. For example, the guardians of OneState are responsible for enforcing the government's strict laws and for this reason, they are granted more authority and power. In OneState's extreme totalitarian society, conforming to authority has many advantages. By being part of and contributing to this society, citizens have access to a ubiquitous source of food and shelter, since OneState has a "radically transformed social system that has established a stable and secure world order for the population in general” (Hatchings 87). Additionally, OneState citizens are protected from most crimes and even given time to meet all their basic human needs, such as eating, sleeping, socializing, and having sex. Citizens are brainwashed into believing that they live in a paradise state and that all other ways of life are absurd. This brainwashing can be considered asadvantage, because these citizens live carefree lives and are completely oblivious to the true horror of their oppressed situation. For D-503, any other life seems implausible, as he writes: "One thing has always seemed most improbable to me: how could a government, even a primitive government, allow people to live without something like our Tables – without obligatory walks, without precise regulation of time to eat… such a life was in reality murder on a large scale” (14). For these citizens, their imposed ignorance is bliss. Besides the advantages of conforming and submitting to authoritarian rule, there are of course also many disadvantages. On a small scale, conforming to a group often means sacrificing your sense of individuality and becoming indistinguishable from the crowd. An extreme example of this is the daily, identical routine of each individual in OneState, during which each citizen is an identical copy of another. In his journal, D-503 writes: “Every morning…at the same hour, at the same minute, we wake up, millions of us at once. At the same hour, millions as one, we begin our work, and millions as one, we finish it” (13). There is no opportunity to be spontaneous or stand out during these routines. In a totalitarian society, submitting to authoritarian rule means giving up freedom of expression and the right to privacy. In Us, this is seen in the character of R-13, a writer who has no choice but to compose works glorifying the actions of the state, even if he does not support those actions. For example, when D-503 compliments R-13 on the poem he wrote for a performance, R-13 exclaims, “I'm really tired of this. Everyone continues: “The death penalty, the death penalty!” » I don't want to hear about it anymore! (59). R-13 is frustrated by the fact that he has no choice but to promote support for the Benefactor and the State, even though he opposes both. This practice of suppressing one's own opinion and creating propaganda for autocracy is common in most totalitarian societies. Besides extreme censorship, the government of dictatorial societies also often invades the privacy of its citizens. Such privacy violations typically include viewing a person's mail, financial records, medical documents, as well as random searches of property, etc. In We, a more extreme invasion of privacy is enforced by subjecting citizens to a life in a glass city, such that most actions are visible and "in plain view" in the city, especially those guards (19). In the extreme case of a single state, "governed by its despotic and malevolent benefactor", submission to the tyrannical rule of the benefactor and to the dictatorial laws of the state in general leads to the loss of most of the rights of citizens, imagination . , and independence (Hutchings 85). As mentioned earlier, the rights of OneState citizens are non-existent. They cannot speak, write or act in any way other than what the law explicitly allows them to do. The One State within Us is so oppressive that it even manages to impose restrictions on thoughts and imagination, classifying dreams as “a symptom of illness” (62). Furthermore, “the imagination, or “fantasy,” which is considered the “last barricade on our path to happiness” in OneState, is something that must be “cut off or extirpated”… because this process “nothing is 'other than surgery' will do it. do” (Burns 76). This operation is called the "Great Operation" and it is imposed on all citizens near the end of the book. Finally, the citizens of OneState.