Temptation and Surveillance in We Anonymous 11th Grade

Temptation lures people to succumb to suppressed human instincts, yet together with surveillance, the opposing forces create a precarious balance between resurgence and restraint. This conflict influences the characters in Yevgeny Zamyatin’s We, which follows cipher D-503’s experience in the oppressed One State as he evolves begins to reject indoctrination and concede to temptations. Zamyatin explores an interplay between temptation and surveillance that serves to suppress dissidence to criticize the oppressive structure in which this relationship thrives.

Through diction describing the Guardians, Zamyatin depicts the effect of their constant surveillance of the ciphers. Asserting the importance of supervision, D-503 addresses the “distinguished task of the Guardians” (Zamyatin 19). D-503 suggests that the “distinguished” Guardians’ perpetual monitoring the ciphers grants them honor and dignity, expressing his respect for their work maintaining peace and happiness. Rather than their true task of eradicating disobedient behavior, D-503 fixates on the Guardians’ role of capturing rebellious ciphers to save the supposedly upstanding ones. Through this, Zamyatin depicts the corruption of a government that manipulates citizens into...