""Liberation?"Astonishing how the criminal instincts do survive in the human species. I choose the word criminal advisedly. Freedom and criminality are just as indissolubly linked as . . . well, as the movement of an aero and its velocity. When the velocity of an aero is reduced to 0, it is not in motion; when a man's freedom is reduced to zero, he commits no crimes. That's clear. And now when we'd only just managed to get rid of it (in the cosmic scale of things, centuries amount to "only just"), suddenly some pathetic morons . . ." (36 Zamyatin).
This passage is my favorite because of how obvious it is that this way of thinking is a lie. In the same paragraph D-503 claims that because there is no freedom there is no crime but also discusses how a group of people attempt to uproot OneState, which is a crime. This passage is interesting based on its absurdity. D-503 endeavors to explain that because there is no crime, all the while contradicting himself by stating that these certain individuals are committing crimes. Until the operation in which the imagination is destroyed is implemented, there is still crime. I-330 commits crimes on a daily basis: plotting against OneState, lying about her location, have non-pink ticket prescribed sex, and etc. D-503 also is a criminal in the eyes of OneState because he does not report I-330, he has sex with her without a pink ticket, and he lies about I-330's whereabouts. Even O-90 performs a crime by allowing herself to become pregnant. All of these examples prove that D-503's original equation in regards to crime is false. The irony behind this quote is one of the many reasons it is my favorite from this novel. According to D-503's original views crime should not exist, however, he learns that even without freedom "crimes" will still occur. Thus because of how hypocritical this quote is, it is one of the best in this work.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this prior statement. D-503 is a hypocritical man, obviously too lost in his own thoughts to define where his true opinions lie. I enjoyed the irony in this quote; I, myself, found many quotes favorable within this work. This, of course, fortunate—it is better to have many great quotes and adequate storyline compared to a great novel with no great points providing evidence for its genius. Note at the very end of the passage D-503, yet again, compares a piece of human dignity to mathematics. Freedom—the thing which the United States of America has based itself on and that which many people crave but do not have, and he compares it to the velocity of a futuristic mobile. He may go one minute from “I’m done for. I’m in no condition to fulfill my obligations to OneState. I . . .” (Zamyatin 58) to the following:
ReplyDeleteThe whole day from the earliest morning—wasn’t it full of the most improbable things, [like] dreaming? And so what difference does it make, one absurdity more or less? Besides, I am certain that sooner or later I’m going to be able to fit any absurdity into a syllogism. I find that comforting . . . How full I am! (74)
This passage is a piece of D-503’s search for truth, acceptance, emotion, character, feeling, and himself!
I like this quote too. It seems so remarkable that D-503 is completely compliant and accepting of the fact that he has absolutely no freedom and no voice. Although, D-503 may not be committing a crime, by revoking an individual's freedoms and constitutional rights, the government is at fault and has partaken in criminal actions, one of which is their ability to have freedom to govern other individual's lives and daily routines.
ReplyDelete