The circle is no doubt brain washing Mae. I cannot help but see this book as a modern day 1984.
Similarities:
In both books privacy is forbidden and people are kept in check though constant surveillance.
- In 1984 there is a strict social structure and in The Circle there are different circles within social media that separate the insiders and the outsiders although claiming this is not the intent; it is blatantly obvious that it does just that.
- Mae and Winston are similar main characters and both lose their identity in the end to the panopticon.
- The names for programs in The Circle like truspeak are clearly influenced from doubletalk and the lingo used in 1984
Differences:
- Winston tries to fight the panopticon while Mae from the beginning of the book loves the social connections and barely realizes her loss of self.
- Orwell seems to think that an omnipresent government is what threatens society while Eggers seems to claim we are actually the problem during this social media revolution.
- In Egger’s novel the characters seem to be shallow and you only get to know them on a surface level. While reading, 1984 I found myself rooting for the doomed Winston and felt like I understood him. I think Egger’s characterized Mae as fairly shallow on purpose to portray the superficiality nature of people of todays online society.
I just wanted to add a few more parallels I saw between the two novels. A major theme of 1984 is psychological manipulation, which is also a theme in The Circle. As the novel progresses, Mae's bosses, also known as "The Three Wise Men" continue to put ideas in her head, forcing her to subconsciously believe everything they tell her and the other employees. In 1984, The "Party" in 1984 is so powerful that they are able to convince others of things such as "2+2=5." In both books, there is no such thing as privacy. The three main "mottos" that The Circle supports are:
ReplyDelete"PRIVACY IS THEFT"
"SECRETS ARE LIES"
"SHARING IS CARING"
These three powerful phrases remind me of the telescreens in 1984, flashing "BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU." This is a strong parallel to The Circle when Mae and other employees begin to go "transparent" and wear cameras around their necks to show everyone their daily lives. In both books, everyone is being watched and there is no such thing as privacy. The characters in both novels are "walking on eggshells" to say the least.
Your completely right when I worked in the banking and insurance industry they was playing with the 1984 circle of Infulance as a sales Tool true !
ReplyDeleteSociety seems trapped with the actions of politicians now especially when many of them are trapped in the tabloid and TV celeb world controlled by the establishment the circle goes beyond the establishment perhaps even beyond the bilderburg group.
I got interesting information from this site
ReplyDeletehttps://blog.mindvalley.com/circle-of-influence/