The Circle: Explicit References to 1984 Could Have Helped
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1shai
1984 by George Orwell is one of the most popular books of our time. And it is required reading in most high schools. The phrases "Big Brother" and "doublethink" have become a part of our culture. The characters in The Circle by Dave Eggers are educated people. They would have certainly read 1984.
So why are not any of the characters raising the issue. Mae could have raised the issue on many occasions. Before she has completely drunk the Kool Aid, she is a bit freaked out by all the screens at her Computer Experience desk. Why doesn't she complain to Francis, "all these screens reminds me of Big Brother." Let Francis answer her back, trying to convince her that it is different. I think it would have made Eggers' own dystopia more compelling if he had convinced us that these authoritarian utopians were actually readers of Orwell and had convinced themselves that this was something different.
So why are not any of the characters raising the issue. Mae could have raised the issue on many occasions. Before she has completely drunk the Kool Aid, she is a bit freaked out by all the screens at her Computer Experience desk. Why doesn't she complain to Francis, "all these screens reminds me of Big Brother." Let Francis answer her back, trying to convince her that it is different. I think it would have made Eggers' own dystopia more compelling if he had convinced us that these authoritarian utopians were actually readers of Orwell and had convinced themselves that this was something different.
2lorax
Did you mean to post this to the One LibraryThing, One Book group?
I haven't read The Circle, and don't intend to, but it's pretty common for characters not to be genre savvy - they don't know they're in a dystopia, and aren't going to be looking for Orwell under every bush. (Warning: link to TV Tropes.) In and of itself this wouldn't bother me.
(Multiple screens reminding someone of 1984 just seems weird to me, though, but maybe that's because I'm a software developer and we all have at least two, sometimes three monitors. So that particular incident seems to be more individual preference than a lack of Genre Savvy.)
I haven't read The Circle, and don't intend to, but it's pretty common for characters not to be genre savvy - they don't know they're in a dystopia, and aren't going to be looking for Orwell under every bush. (Warning: link to TV Tropes.) In and of itself this wouldn't bother me.
(Multiple screens reminding someone of 1984 just seems weird to me, though, but maybe that's because I'm a software developer and we all have at least two, sometimes three monitors. So that particular incident seems to be more individual preference than a lack of Genre Savvy.)
