Imagination Land

As I was reading about the mandatory imagination removal operation, I kept thinking about the problems facing an unimaginative civilization. Lacking an imagination cripples one’s creative thinking and problem solving skills. I think that a society without creative individuals is void of intellectual discoveries (scientific or otherwise) and therefore lacks any capacity for progress or adaptation. A society without progress is simply a machine for maintaining the status quo, and will eventually yield to the influence of outside forces. Even the wall will not protect the city indefinitely; it will inevitably decay and deteriorate.

As for motives behind the operation program, the Benefactor states that the people “longed for someone to tell them, once and for all, the meaning of happiness, and then to bind them to it with a chain.” (Zamyatin, 214) I can understand how he feels that the operation is a solution to the happiness problem; however, I doubt that the Benefactor intends to create a stagnant society. Surely one capable of orchestrating such a rational and efficient municipality must be able to predict the results of a complete lack of progress in a civilization. If progress is essential to survival, and if survival is one of the main goals of a society (other than happiness), than it seems that the imagination annihilation program instituted by the Benefactor is a step in the wrong direction.

I understand how the “operation” is useful and necessary simply as a plot device, but I find the character of the Benefactor to be intriguing, and I am curious as to the motives of the character as intended by Zamyatin. I noticed while reading that there is no mention of the guardians receiving the operation. I doubt that the efficiency of any police force would remain unaffected by removing the imaginations of the agents, and it would seem that the Office of the Guardians is more crucial than ever during the final uprising during the last chapters of the book. It could be said that the Benefactor is simply moving for complete control of society rather than focusing on eradicating unhappiness. His monologue during entry thirty-six is seemingly convincing of his dedication to the problem of happiness, but I am not decided.

Tragic Ending

While reading the book, the whole time, I just knew the story was going to end badly. The actual ending was not near as bad as I was expecting. I thought for sure D-503 was going to die, most likely under the Benefactor's Machine from all of his excapades. The story built up and up and then kind of gently ended in an unexpected way. D-503 finally begins to understand his "soul" and feel emotions, fear, jelousy, rage and see the flaws of the One State. Just as he seems to see life and the world in a different way, a way that is more clear to him with "no infinity," the operation is forced on him. After the operation D appears to be very happy, very submissive, and seems to be the ideal citizen he thought he was towards the beginning of the book. This hardly seems to be the tragic ending I expected out of this book. On the other hand though, seeing the changes D has made, especially from his point of view, definately caused his zombie-like transformation from the operation to seem tragic. And it was hard not to feel bad for I-330 as she was tortured by the benefactor to find out more about the enimies of happiness while D-503, or at least his body, sat there and watched with no reaction to what was going on. I pictured it as seeing a dead person; the body is familiar, but it is no longer the person you know. Overall, the ending was unexpected, and definatley is considered tragic in my eyes.