Similarities Between 1984 And V For Vendetta

Education is a fundamental value of many different cultures. While education is extremely advantageous, it can also be used to spread unethical ideals and biased beliefs. In both Orwell’s 1984 and McTeigue’s V for Vendetta, the protagonists’ imprisonment and tortures are used as a form of reeducation. However, in V for Vendetta, Evey’s torture is with the intent of making her powerful, whereas Winston’s torture in 1984 is with the intent of making him powerless. Both works note the intent of capture for both protagonists, although the outcomes are very different. They also both explore the idea of the protagonists’ knowledge of what will happen to them while being held captive, and it soon becomes apparent that this varies between the two works.

In 1984, Winston is tortured to a breaking point, after which he is incapacitated. Orwell discusses the final change in Winston when he describes, “[Winston gazing] up at the enormous face [of Big Brother]. Forty years it [has taken] him to learn what kind of smile [is] hidden beneath the dark moustache… but it [is] all right, everything [is] all right, the struggle [is] finished. He [has] won the victory over himself” (Orwell 311). Winston’s experiences in the Ministry of Love, especially Room 101, are his downfall. Winston loses all ability to oppose the Party and is reeducated into believing the Party’s ideals wholeheartedly. This is different from the outcome of Evey’s reeducation in V for Vendetta.

In 1984, Winston is tortured by O’Brien for information about Julia and the Brotherhood, however he is aware that there is no way to prevent his imminent annihilation. His confessions are not to prevent this, but to alleviate his suffering. He even asks O’Brien when he will be shot, to which O’Brien replies, “‘It might be a long time … you are a difficult case. But [do not] give up hope. Everyone is cured sooner or later. In the end we shall shoot you’” (Orwell 287). In Evey’s case, the situation is quite different. Evey is given the supreme ultimatum. If she reveals V’s identity or location, she will be set free. If she does not, she will be executed. In the film, the man who is to take her behind the chemical sheds to be shot tells her, “Look, all they want is one little piece of information. Just give them something, anything” (McTeigue). Evey insists she would rather die, and as a result, she is set free. This freedom is not only freedom from prison, but also freedom from the fear that has been governing her role in V’s revolution until this point. It is the strength she gains from both V and Valerie that gives her the power to lose the fear of death and become a martyr for V’s cause. Though she is initially resentful of V for inflicting her with such anguish, she comes to realize that V is right; she is no longer afraid. In 1984 and V for Vendetta,