THE FAILURE OF CAPITALISM AND TOTALITARIANISM IN YEVGENY ZAMYATIN’S NOVEL WE

Year 2019, Volume: 1 Issue: 1, 38 - 43, 27.11.2019

Hamdi Jarada

Abstract

The
question of what the key to happiness is has been discussed throughout the
centuries in hope of finding a decisive answer: however, the human intellect
differs from one to another and as a result, many theories have been coined and
implemented through the history of mankind. One of those theories is the theory
of Capitalism which aims at providing an adequate amount of products or
services to the masses in order to satisfy the human needs in order to result
in happiness. However, Capitalism has been under criticism for only providing
satisfaction to the financially capable citizens of society, and the poor
cannot attain that feeling of happiness. Also, the human desire cannot be tamed
and limited to certain demands because humans are eager and greedy by nature.
Another theory is Totalitarianism which aims at complete submission to
government in hope for providing all life necessities and complements to the
citizens of society, and those citizens do certain tasks or jobs in order to be
eligible to gain benefits at the expense of losing their humane needs and
desires. Each person is dealt with and provided to as equal as the other.
Hence, while Capitalism works on harnessing and embracing the human desires for
the need of satisfaction as well as creating new jobs to fulfill newly
surfacing desires, Totalitarianism, on the other hand, aims thoroughly at
repressing those desires. In Yevgeny Zamyatin’s novel “We”, Totalitarianism is
used to neutralize any human features in the citizens. However, both of the
systems fail to achieve their ultimate goal: happiness. The aim of this study is to
compare and contrast Capitalism and Totalitarianism in Yevgeny Zamyatin’s novel
“We” in the light of achieving happiness, and how both of the systems fail in
doing so.

Keywords

Totalitarianism, Capitalism, desire, happiness

References

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• The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. (2019, August 7). Totalitarianism. Retrieved October 12, 2019, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/totalitarianism
• von Mises, L. (1996). Human Action: A Treatise on Economics. Irvington-on-Hudson, N.Y.: Foundation for Economic Education, p. 117, 338.
• Zamyatin, & Eugene. (1924). We. New York: E. P. DUTTON & Co. Inc.