What does this remind me of? Comparing aspects of 1984 to the Maze Runner

    I’m going to compare 1984 to Maze Runner because it’s the only recent dystopian novel that I have read and can actually remember and there is a pretty similar theme with memory. In Maze Runner the characters have their memories erased and while they still have knowledge of the world they have no specific memories of their lives. In 1984, from what we can see from Winston, it seems to be a very similar situation. Winston has vague memories of his past but for the most part can’t remember his life from when he was little and doesn’t have specific memories of life before Big Brother and the war. In Maze Runner regaining some of their memories plays a key role in the success of the characters. In 1984 everything that doesn’t align with the Government gets erased, there is no written documentation of events that hasn’t been edited to fit the Government’s ideas. Whether or not Winston had his memories erased is unclear at this point but the idea surrounding the importance of knowledge and memory remains. In 1984 the Government’s ability to edit history is part of what gives them so much power over the people and the opposition to that control is knowledge of  what the Government is doing. It would be impossible for people to understand what the Government is doing if they don’t remember anything ever being different. In both books memory and therefore knowledge seem to be the key to success. This similarity of memory being the missing piece is important because it emphasizes the inability to find a solution if you don’t understand the problem.

Do you guys think that the Government has a way to erase people's memories?

I think they must. If they didn't I feel like more people would be questioning the Government.


Comments

  1. L. MoffittFebruary 9, 2021 at 9:24 AM

    Good question. I've seen terrifying studies that show how easy it is to erase human memory and replace it with whatever you want. On a simple level, witnesses to crimes can easily be led to believe they "really" saw certain things that initially they said they didn't see. On a larger scale -- well, it's scary.

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  2. IsabelaFebruary 9, 2021 at 9:34 AM

    I genuinely don't know. It's also fair to say that because anyone who rebels in anyway is killed, I think Winston was trying to say that even though people remember before, its blurry because everything related to them has been gone, but even if people remember their memories I think the idea is they would be killed.

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