"Born and Raised in a North Korean Gulag" vs "1984"

Nowadays we don’t imagine ourselves under any totalitarian authority. Although humans are prone to feeling that they are being oppressed by some greater power, it was never to an extent that was presented in We or 1984. This New York Times article, “Born and Raised in a North Korean Gulag” presents many shocking details of prison life that resemble that of the life in 1984. The same totalitarian ideals are presented in prison life, as well as their torture and inquisition methods. Many details in Shin Dong Hyok’s description are tangential to the descriptions in we, which is very shocking to readers including myself.

The first similarity between this article and 1984 is the relationship that each had with their mother. Shin states that he had no love for his mother due to what he had to go through because of her.  Winston similarly had a peculiar relationship with his mother, especially depicted in his flashbacks throughout the story. When Shin’s mother was being hanged, he did not feel any sadness and instead avoided his mother’s eyes. Winston, like Shin, did not understand how to handle his relationship with his mother. He was unaware of whether or not she was alive, but had no direct need to find her. Upon meeting a woman who could possibly have been his mother in the prison, Winston’s reaction was not normal for someone who may have just found his or her mother. Both Winston and Shin have relationship issues, possibly a result of the harsh circumstances they were forced to endure.

Both Winston and Shin were born into a world where there was some sort of oppression, and therefore were unaware that there was any other way of living. Shin states that he thought everyone lived this way, and therefore did not try to revolt. He said that he never found anything ‘unfair’. Shin, like Winston, was given information of the outside world. Winston and Shin share similar reactions to this information of ‘outside worlds’ and are both overcome with the need to experience it. Winston dealt with it by keeping a diary, and plotting against the government with his accomplice. Shin dealt with it by finding ways to escape out of the prison so that he could experience this ‘free’ world he had never known of.

Both Winston and Shin were in atmospheres where humans were deprived of regular human feelings and standards. Shin was used to seeing people getting beaten up, and therefore was less prone to being sensitive. Shin was also deprived of proper education, which is similar to the control over language and writing in 1984. The use of propaganda is also present in both the North Korean prison as well as in 1984. In addition, means of inquisition are also similar in the sense that they use brutal and painful methods to gain answers.  

The idea that a world similar to that of 1984 exists in our world is a scary thought. People who  have been born into such harsh conditions have no knowledge of the outside world, and therefore don’t feel that anything is wrong. It makes one wonder whether our generation of human beings are also living in the darkness of another ‘outside world’.