Discussion:D-503 most definitely loved I-330. Although D-503 repeatedly states that he hates I-330, the way that he presents it indicates a love for her. From the begining D-503 does not report I-330 after she had broken rules due to a connection between them. Throughout the novel the connection grows, however, only for D-503. I-330 was using D-503, but he was not aware of this and it therefore did not shape his opinion of her. It is portrayed that the connection is growing in two distinct and important ways. The first way it shows is the fact that D-503 spends some of his days hopelessly waiting for I-330 at the end of the novel, showing clear enamoration. Also, D-503's willingness to rebel for I-330 shows great love for her. In the begining of the novel D-503 had great admiration for One State, an admiration that could only be broken by love. D-503 rebels to such a great extent that he aids in the attempted capture of the Integral, a rocket he was creating for the gobernment. He gibes up his own metaphorical child for this women that he had grown to love.
Favorite Line/ Passage:
"A knife is the most permanent, the most immortal, the most ingenious of all of man's creations. The knife was a guillotine, the knife is a universal means of resolving all knots..." (Zamyatin 113) I like the previous passage because of its absurdity. In the passage the knife symbolizes war at the end. War creates descruction, despair and a loser, when a war is over, the problems are less than resolved, maybe even worse than they were before. If anything, the knife, except for when used for cutting of things that are not mammals, is one of the worst inventions to come to this earth. Although the knife was the guillotine, and it inspired and promoted rebellion, the only reason the guillotine was needed is because the people who had more knives and more power were taking advantage of it. The mentioning of the guillotine as an example of a knife, is obscure and it lends to the point of necessary rebellion in the novel, because as we know, authors do not put random words in just for fun!
Likes/ Dislikes
Although at some points the rules did not seem to concrete to me, the novel was good. I just do not understand how with such a restrained society D-503 managed to do so much damage to himself and other before he was caught. Also, at some points in the novel I just flat out lost track of what was going on, other than that it was pretty interesting. I am a mathematical thinker so I thought that the incorporation of math was quite interesting. I particularly enjoyed how the square root of one played in with the concept of imagination.
(uprising at it's greatest, the song uprising with V for Vendetta Clips, enjoy)
I like that quote too, Roman. In the book it does seem absurd, but when the speaker is taken into consideration, it really fits. D-503 hates anything that is not straightforward or sensible, and when a problem arises, for example a knot, the knife is the perfect way to get through it. The knife is also a great example of necessary rebellion, which is again relatable to the novel itself. Great analysis, Roman.
ReplyDeleteI, too, find that quote to be a very powerful statement by the author, Yevgeny Zamyatin. D-503 fancies himself to be a mathematician, the ultimate problem-solver, while a knife is a short cut to an end. A knife is used to end disputes that could otherwise be handled, end lives that could be saved. Not only are there losers when knives are involved, when war is involved, there are also no winners because lives were lost.
ReplyDeleteGreat quote Roman, I agree that it lends greatly to the idea of a necessary rebellion in the novel.
I like that quote as well. I think Moira's comment about D-503 being a problem solver is true, and that the knife is a symbol of a quick end, or an easy way out. In this society, the Benefactor is holding the knife against the throats of the citizens with their full support for his actions, where the knife is the symbol of his power over others.
ReplyDelete