The Circle By Dave Eggers: An Analysis

“The Circle” is a dystopian novel written by Dave Eggers. The novel follows the life of a woman in her mid-twenties, Mae Holland. In the novel, the central theme is the overemphasis on openness within the society. Citizens are encouraged to refrain from keeping secrets and to share almost every aspect of their lives. In the novel, it is believed that transparency is the only true way to reach a utopian society. A debate that sort of arose within the book is whether privacy should be a bigger priority in the digital age. However, Mae is so wrapped up in the idea that transparency would lead to a utopia and the best form of democracy, that she feels that this trumps the need for privacy. My view on whether full-transparency is a good thing …show more content…
Full transparency could also increase public safety because less is unknown. However, I believe that to an extent, secrets are what keeps the world sane. Imagine a world where politicians were completely open about all the bad things going on in the area. Every single terrorist threat, whether validated or not, was shared with the public. This would just cause a panic. Even if politicians are exempt from this transparency, this system could and would still cause problems. Personally, I do not want to know everything about my friends and neighbors. The unknown is what makes each day a lot more interesting and makes people want to get to know each other better. We are already in an age where face-to-face communication is limited as it is. I fully believe that a form of transparency similar to that of the book, would cause an even larger decrease in communication. If everything is already known about every other person, where is the motivation to get to know them better. I would not want the implementation of the SeeChange cameras around the Auburn Campus or anywhere. I believe that this would lead to individuals not being as genuine. Integrity is essentially whether an individual will do the right thing when no one is