Two core principles create the foundation for the OneState in Zamyatin’s We: the idea that humans are machines that need to be perfected, and the idea that rationality is the only correct way of thinking about the world. Both of these principles are not inherently evil or irrational, however, as the OneState takes their ideals to the extreme, their principles become less understandable and increasingly unreasonable. D-503’s use of mathematical language and the way he punctuates his record entries helps clue us in to how logical or irrational the OneState’s policies are. The OneState places rationality over all other forms of thought: “it is...clear that in We the social structure of the One State is founded on a commitment to what is, traditionally,
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This reflects how after he begins to lose some faith in reason, as he has no other way to express himself: “Get hold of yourself, D-503. Line yourself up on a strong logical axis …. Even if it won’t be for long, bear down on the level with all your weight… and, like an ancient slave, keep on turning the millstones of syllogisms until you’ve written, thought through, everything that’s happened…” (Zamyatin 189). His disjointed way of writing shows how he changes the way he thinks and clues the reader in to how little he really understands with the absence of mathematical equations to fill in for his …show more content…
Both of these tenants cause citizens of the OneState to strive towards becoming the most perfectly logical beings possible, by modeling themselves after machines. In their quest for full mechanization, however, the OneState veers into the realm of mad science when they attempt to “repair” the parts of their humanity that aren’t totally logical, such as their Imagination. D-503 illustrates the OneState society’s obsession with logic through his record entries, where he uses mathematical terms such as “-1” to describe any of his non-logical thoughts, since he doesn’t have the vocabulary to describe non-logical events any other way. Later in the novel, as D-503 becomes less controlled by the obsession of becoming a machine, D-503 begins to leave the things he can’t describe blank; omitting them and putting “...” in their place instead. The OneState’s obsession with the full mechanization of the human, while not inherently a dangerous concept at first, veers into the realm of mad science with the methods they use to “fix” the “errors” of
This reflects how after he begins to lose some faith in reason, as he has no other way to express himself: “Get hold of yourself, D-503. Line yourself up on a strong logical axis …. Even if it won’t be for long, bear down on the level with all your weight… and, like an ancient slave, keep on turning the millstones of syllogisms until you’ve written, thought through, everything that’s happened…” (Zamyatin 189). His disjointed way of writing shows how he changes the way he thinks and clues the reader in to how little he really understands with the absence of mathematical equations to fill in for his …show more content…
Both of these tenants cause citizens of the OneState to strive towards becoming the most perfectly logical beings possible, by modeling themselves after machines. In their quest for full mechanization, however, the OneState veers into the realm of mad science when they attempt to “repair” the parts of their humanity that aren’t totally logical, such as their Imagination. D-503 illustrates the OneState society’s obsession with logic through his record entries, where he uses mathematical terms such as “-1” to describe any of his non-logical thoughts, since he doesn’t have the vocabulary to describe non-logical events any other way. Later in the novel, as D-503 becomes less controlled by the obsession of becoming a machine, D-503 begins to leave the things he can’t describe blank; omitting them and putting “...” in their place instead. The OneState’s obsession with the full mechanization of the human, while not inherently a dangerous concept at first, veers into the realm of mad science with the methods they use to “fix” the “errors” of