Similarities Between 1984 And Bladerunner

The 1984 novel written in 1949 by George Orwell, and Bladerunner (1982) directed by Ridely Scott in 1982. Both portray a sense of identity confrontation in the protagonist throughout the novel and the film. 1984 features an average office worker called Winston, who develops a hatred for the government leader ‘Big Brother’ and throughout the novel is faced with some self-conflict in his past and who he is. Bladerunner features the protagonist Rick Deckard is forced to come out of retirement to hunt 4 replicants that are in Los Angeles. In doing so, he faced issues within his own identity as well as developed feelings for a replicant. This essay will highlight the struggle for identity amongst totalitarian control, illustrating how surveillance

In both film and novel, the importance of memory is discussed by characters, and plays a big role for the protagonist. 1984 represents this with its protagonist, Winston. Due to the Ministry of Truth and the use of futuristic devices such as the memory hole, party members memories are easily manipulated and altered. Total control over party members allows their identities to be easily changed or even removed by forcing everyone’s memories to be altered. This is specifically seen when the author tells us through Winston’s thoughts that, “This process of continuous alteration was applied not only to newspapers, button books, periodicals, pamphlets, posters, leaflets, films, soundtracks, cartoons, photographs”. The party restricts any form of media that has the potential to re-promote memories of party members. Memories and identity in Bladerunner are seen through the replicant Rachel. A newer generation replicant that was made to believe it was human through implanted memories. When the protagonist Deckard runs his Voight-Kampff test, he learns that she is more advanced than the previous generation and is fully immersed in the lies she was born