Genesis, We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin, and Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell

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The story of Adam and Eve has been told for many generations. One of its main focuses is the power of temptation in a Utopian society. In this Genesis, man’s disobedience to G-d has shown the world that people will always challenge authority and laws were meant to be broken. In We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin, and Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, the societies in both texts resemble the characters in Genesis by either characteristics or by the actual role that they play in (their) society. The one recurring theme within all three texts told by either G-d in Adam and Eve, Big Brother in Nineteen eighty-four, or the Benefactor in We, was that they cannot have both freedom and happiness. Characters in both stories broke authority’s rules and had to be punished. This proves that humans are always selfish and look for different alternatives in order to live in a perfect world. These character relationships with authorities and one another connect very similarly with the story of Adam and Eve. These stories show us that the world is indeed imperfect, and that authority will punish those who rebel, sin or revolt.

In We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin the society resembles the society of Genesis which is unchanging in the Utopian paradise. Each character in We, resembles a character in Genesis by either characteristics or the actual role that they play in society; they can’t have both freedom and happiness. The Great Benefactor and G-d both display authority and both have humans who broke their rules and had to be punished. Yevgeny Zamyatin states, “Those two, in paradise, were given a choice: happiness without freedom, or freedom without happiness. There was no third alternative...” (Yevgeny Zamyatin. Page 62) this shows that humans are always self...

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...TalkOrigins Archive: Exploring the Creation/Evolution Controversy. Retrieved December 21, 2011, from http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/genesis.html

Tija, H. T. (2000, February 23). Zamyatin’s We and The Power of Words- Science Fiction & the City. UBC Blogs | Home. Retrieved December 21, 2011, from http://blogs.ubc.ca/sciencefictionandthecity/2009/02/23/zamyatins-we-and-the-power-of-words/

Westfahl, G. (n.d.). The Greenwood encyclopedia of ... - Gary Westfahl - Google Books. Google Books. Retrieved December 21, 2011, from http://books.google.com/books?id=SQMQQyIaACYC&pg=PA76&lpg=PA76&dq=nineteen+eighty+four+george+orwell+adam+and+eve&source=bl&ots=O-gs2dcaGq&sig= gOMWCnZ21oZleDOEWNeKF_OmeA&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ZYPyTsz0CdG4tweHiOXPBg&ved=0CD8Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=nineteen%20eighty%2

Zamyatin, E. I., & Randall, N. (2006). We (Modern Library pbk. ed.). New York: Modern Library.

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