Comparing Freud's Civilization And Its Discontents

Freud places emphasis on the power of the individual versus the power of civilization as a whole in his book Civilization and Its Discontents, an emphasis that is clearly replicated in both 1984 and Panopticon. Freud states, “Human life in common is only made possible when a majority comes together which is stronger than any separate individual and which remains united against all separate individuals” (46). This particular sentiment is echoed in the theory of the panopticon as tool to suppress the imprisoned individual, illustrated through the guard tower placed in the center of the prison that does not allow for inmates to decipher whether there is anyone inside watching them; an illusion that is intended to demonstrate the power of the panopticon
Foucault writes of the panopticon, “It is an important mechanism for it automatizes and dis-individualizes power. Power has its principle not so much in a person as in a certain concerted distribution of bodies, surfaces, lights, gazes: in an arrangement whose internal mechanisms produce the relation in which individuals are caught up”(202). Bentham attempts to make the panopticon comparable to a living thing, greater than the individual human, through its all encompassing nature, much like Big Brother in 1984. Foucault’s quote from the Panopticon coincides well with the examination of power in 1984, demonstrating the taciturn power that Big Brother holds over the
Much of the more savage side of the Oceanian government is conveyed in the conversations that take place between Winston and O’Brien. O’Brien bluntly explains to Winston during a conversation meant to intimidate Winston to silence his growing questions about the purpose of Big Brother, “...always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – forever" (34). Unlike the previous quotes from Foucault and Freud which present the triumph of the group over the individual, O’Brien allows for a glimpse into the mindset of those in power. Overarchingly, it demonstrates how individuals in positions of power view such power, and provides understanding as to why those individuals desperately try to keep power and the knowledge of how to wield such power away from those they