I Resist,Therefore I Exist—The Existentialism In "The Dystopian Trilogy"

Zamyatin's We, Huxley's Brave New World and Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four are called as"The Dystopian Trilogy”. From the trilogy we can find deep reflections of modern people'scondition, the depiction of the sense of freedom and responsibility in the desperate situation, andthe dilemma of facing freedom, which all reflect the connotation of existentialism.First of all, in the novels, the operation of the three worlds is like a wall in which people arebeseiged. The formula "two by two equals four",as a symbol of totalitarianism which controlspeople completely day by day, causes full alienation. Secondly, the characters are awakened in theabsurdity, and they try to beyond the non-human reality and to be the real self. At the crossroadsbetween life and death, they choose the tragic road of resistance. It is their awareness of freedomand responsibility that restores the dignity of human nature and reflects a kind of existentialist humanitarianism. Finally,the rulers of the novels use Dostoevsky's "Grand Inquisitor" to suppressthe heresy. They try to disintegrate the character's spiritual will by stating the disaster of freedom and claiming that they have no choice but to destroy the freedom for the human happiness.Actually,this ruling logic becomes the "retort" of existential freedom which leads to the complete failure of the resistance. However, this failure does not mean that the action is meaningless butpoints to the sisyphean heroism. In addition, the defeat does not indicate the final outcome, butpasses the freedom and hope to the the readers, and it will encourage them to realize the the valueof freedom and take the responsibility of freedom in their real life, which is the most valuablerevelation and realistic meaning of the works.