The Negative Effects Of Civilised Society

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Recommended: Merits and demerits of totalitarianism

Mankind 's greatest achievement is often heralded as the development of civilised society, indeed the creation of a society that can be deemed civilised is what distinguishes humans from animals. However, Freud 's suggestion that civilisation is the source of 'misery ' can clearly be seen in the novels 1984 by George Orwell and Lady Chatterley 's Lover by D.H. Lawrence as well as Arthur Kopit 's play Chamber Music. The restrictions placed upon the characters of these novels imposed by their societies are claimed to be for the benefit of the many, however in seeing these civilisations through the eyes of specific characters, we are able to see the negative effects that these so called 'beneficial rules ' have upon the individual. In the novel 1984, Orwell examines the effects of a totalitarian regime, having seen firsthand the rise of Nazism and Stalinism. He said himself that his works from 1936 onwards were "directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism", …show more content…

Through the character of Oliver Mellors, Lawrence is able to convey his social criticism of the horrific health of the Colliers due to the conditions of the mine, "Yer ought ter be alive an ' beautiful, an ' yer ugly an ' half dead." It could be argued that through this mistreatment of the lower working classes and rendering them "half dead", society is able to maintain it 's power over the people. Through manipulating them into "working for money" Lawrence demonstrates dislike of the industrialised and capitalist society, illustrating his point through one of Mellor 's musings on his fellow working man.
After the rise of the communist regime in Russia, one fear that swept through the masses was the somewhat irrational fear of communism, a fear further exasperated by the influence of McCarthyism. Arthur Kopit 's absurdist play poignantly shows audiences how ridiculous this fear was and

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