Zamyatin's "We"

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes Yevgeny Zamyatin's use of imagery and symbolism in his masterpiece, the anti-Utopian novel, "We," in an attempt to uncover this relatively unknown Russian writer's contribution to Russian and world literature. After a brief examination of Zamyatin's theory of imagery in terms of his connection to Neo-Realism and Impressionism, the paper proceeds to detail his use of three categories of images: (1) color symbolism; (2) nature images; (2) mathematical symbolism. For each image or symbol, the paper provides an interpretation of its meaning and its significance for the ideas that Zamyatin is presenting in the novel. The paper concludes that Zamyatin's innovative use of this sort of imagery is evidence of his skill as a writer, his mastery of the use of imagery and his insight into human nature.

From the Paper:

"Zamyatin associates yellow and its variation, gold, with the Sun, and uses both colors to symbolize "ardent passion, the life-giving force in man" (Shane 1968 157) and to depict "elemental passionate love" (Shane 1968 170). In the scene where I-330 seduces D-503, she is described as having golden eyes, and wearing a saffron dress, and the room is saturated with a golden-rosy sap (life-force) as "a smiling, golden Buddha looks on" (Shane 1968 157). However, in We yellow is "paradoxically, both the color of sunlight and life and also the color of death and decay" (Collins 58). The city's dictator turns out to be an "aging bald-headed man with the enormous yellow parabola on a forehead furrowed by yellow, illegible lines, and clutching a book with his yellow hands, [...] a humorless rationalist" (Collins 58). And just as Zamyatin contrasts red and blue, so he contrasts yellow and blue. The warm golden sun outside the Green Wall is quite a different sun from the light blue one that shines on the rational One State (Shane 1968 157)."

More papers on Zamyatin's "We":

• Book Review # 145891 : "We" - A Book Review"
• Analytical Essay # 5402 : "We"
• Book Review # 38551 : "Yevgeny Zemyatin's "We"."

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