Rebellion and Personality

Rebellion and Personality

Repeatedly it is said "Hope is what keeps you going." Hope, in other words is merely an portion of life in which one learns to cherish a desire with much anticipation (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). This anticipation can be practically about anything. From getting an endorsement in your job or to break through from a dictatorial rule: whether the rule is enforced on you by your parents, or the government. When restricted with the use of incorruptible rules by the government, there are not many options left but to revolt. Rebel against the government, hoping that one day, they will get out of the corrupted system and live their life like the way they used to live before the change.

The concept of rebelling with the hope of a means of escape is evident in The Handmaid's Tale and also in 1984 written by Margaret Atwood and George Orwell respectively. Also, it can also be traced in the movie Children of Men directed by Alfonso Cuarón. In all the three dystopias, the main characters, Offred, Winston and Theo rise up against their respective systems, with a hope of living an enhanced life. Offred, Winston and Theo are forced to live in a world where their every move is looked at by the heads of their society. In circumstances like these, at first they accept their situation, but eventually start to rebel against the authorities to regain what they once had, freedom. In order to gain freedom, Offred, Theo, and Winston rebel in every little way that they can hoping to achieve their goal. However, rebelling against the system changes their personality significantly.

In the novel 1984 written by George Orwell, the main character Winston, rebels against the system internally as well as externally. Winston is not in favour with the sudden change in the government but has no other option other than to go along with it. At first, he is very complacent with the whole situation. Although eventually he begins to rebel internally, by doing the things the government doesn't approve of. One of his very first incidents of rebellions include him writing in a journal which is completely against the government rules. "He sat back. A sense of complete helplessness had descended upon him" (Orwell 9). His complacency is also accompanied by his feeling of being lost. Not only does he make minor transgressions against the system, like keeping a journal he also feels lonely since he does not know of anyone who has the same feelings for the government as him. He has no direction in his life. His life lacks an aim, but only until Julia's appearance.

Julia's appearance in the novel not only brings the "romance" to Winston's life, but also gives him confidence that he is not the only one who wants to rebel. "At the sight of the words I love you the desire to stay alive had welled up in him, and the taking of minor risks suddenly seemed stupid."(Orwell 115). Here, he is rebelling in a subtle way by having passion of the note, but it gives him peace. After knowing that he has someone who shares the same beliefs as him, he feels much more confident in his mind as well as while rebelling. It is also visible in his journals, since the maturity level of his writing is also drastically increased. In addition, he feels happy and proud of himself that he is against the government.

Similarly, in the dystopian movie Children Of Men directed by Alfonso Cuarón, Theo, the main character of the movie is initially seen to be ignorant of reality, but as time passes by, he realizes the seriousness of his situation. The first sign of rebellion is visible when Theo says "Mr. Griffens, I seem to be more affected by baby Diego's death than I realised. If you wouldn't mind I'd appreciate if I could finish my days work at home." (Children Of Men). When the whole world is mourning about the youngest person's death, Theo uses it as an excuse to get out of work. He does not seem to be bothered with the death of Diego. On the other hand he goes and visits Jasper who lives in hiding. Jasper is a character that lives in a hidden area and is a former political cartoonist; just knowing him is like having an underground army. None the less, Theo's rebellious nature is visible to us right after he is kidnapped by the Fishes.

As time passes by, Theo rebels against the Fishes and the government to save Kee's life. Theo's kidnapping is followed by the tragic death of his ex wife, Julian. This changes Theo's attitude towards Kee's rescue mission. He starts taking it much more seriously, especially after Kee says "Julian said only trust you" (Children Of Men). He shows his seriousness when the Fishes discuss whether or not to keep Kee's pregnancy a secret. Theo rebels, and shows responsibility and care towards Kee and her baby. He says "Make it public....You should make it public...Doesn't matter. She's pregnant....Yea well whatever's going on. Whatever your political ideas are, it's irrelevant. It doesn't matter...She needs a doctor" (Children Of Men). Soon after this, he, Kee and Miriam run away for the sake of Kee and her future baby's safety. Theo is struggling to bring Kee and her baby some freedom by taking her to the 'Human Project' However, on his journey to fight against the system, many obstacles come his way and change his personality and the way he looks at humanity.

The death of a close person in Theo's life helps him to be a more aggressive rebel than he was before. Jasper's death works like a spark to the fire. As soon as he is dead, Theo's personality drastically changes and he becomes much more focused on Kee and her safety. His main goal still being to go against the systems as well as the Fishes, and help Kee reach a safer place-The Human Project. Right after Jasper is killed by the Fishes, Theo says "Don't you fucking touch me" (Children of Men). At that particular point, Theo gets very frustrated and angry about the fact that he has already lost two very important people in his life, Julian and Jasper. However, right after that Theo says "everything's fine" (Children of Men) to Kee. Even after losing them, Theo is being mature and proceeding with the plan, knowing that he is only getting into a more dangerous situation by breaking the rules and rebelling not only against the Government but also against the Fishes. Even in all this chaos, Theo does not show anger towards Kee. Instead he lets his frustration out on Miriam and is completely calm with Kee. Theo's frustration and eagerness to help Kee reach the boat is very visible during the end of the movie.

Rebelling against the Fishes as well as the Government proves to