The Same but Different

 Looking back at BNW and 1984, it's interesting that two novels that seem so different from each other, are both dystopias, and in some ways similar as well. The two books take the dystopian genre to opposite extremes. Society in BNW is always cheery and happy to the point in which it blinds the people from the reality of what is going on. 1984 is quite the opposite. Society is based on fear, and the worldview is dim and depressing. In both cases, the governments control all aspects of society, such as the 6 topics we've focused on. Even though they sometimes go in the opposite direction, we still see the same dystopic result. 

The one comparison that I found the most interesting is between Bernard and Winston. I think it's safe to say that we had similar negative reactions to their personalities. Sure, they had the right idea in mind at the start, but then they spiraled downwards as the novels progressed. Both Bernard and Winston are the only people in their societies that had a will to change the status quo (Julia and the guy from BNW who came up with the slogans, to some respect, but they never seemed adamant in changing society completely). Both characters develop similarly. At the end of the novel, both characters give up on their attempted revolt. We see Bernard begging to not be sent away by Mond following his capture, much like Winston as he loses his last bit of resilience in Room 101. 

Both novels end by highlighting the futility of the attempted challenges to society. Bernard and Winston are made to love the society which they once hated. While John and Winston have more differences, both die at the end. Meanwhile, the world continues on. Their challenge to the system is just a blip in the history of the society and erased. I haven't read many dystopian novels, so this might be completely wrong, but it feels like more dystopian novels today have some sort of resolution and there is some progress made in changing the dystopian world. By contrast, these early dystopias end where they began. In the end, nothing is gained. A pretty bleak way of looking at the world, but given how bleak the dystopian worlds are, it's fitting. I guess. 

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