These Dystopia books never get old

This year we have been introduced to various dystopian novels(especially those lucky few in both lit and language), and it is difficult to miss the similarities that exist in each. There seems to always be a tragic hero who is able to overcome tyranny, rebel, then succumbs to the very tyranny he attempted to defy. There are of course, the novels with the almost happy ending such as Anthem and Fahrenheit 451, but in a majority of these dystopian novels, as is the case with Brave New World and 1984, there is the inevitable descent of the protagonist, the hopeless plight of the faulted hero. A.C. Ward observes the similarities between Huxley's and Orwell's most well-known works, dissecting the possibilities of plagiarism and observing the irrefutable influence of Zamaitin's We on Brave New World and transitively Zamaitin's and Huxley's influence on the formation of 1984.
While it is clear that 1984 has many similarities to Brave New World (a fact even Orwell did not deny), the societies created from the same fear(the fear of dehumanization and oppression) are drastically different. Huxley created a world which controlled its citizens by granting them all that they have been conditioned to desire, therefore in content, they never desired beyond what the government allowed. In Orwell's society, as stated by Ward, "...everything...leads to death..." What I found particularly interesting about the article "Conclusion: The Two Futures: A.F. 632 and 1984" was the parallels Ward outlined between the characters and structures of the novels. Although I knew similarities existed between the novels, I missed a great many of the parallels Ward described. I was particularly interested in his relation of Mustapha Mond to O'Brien. While O'Brien inflicted acute pain upon Winston, I found his manner very similar to Mond. "Like Mond he is willing up to a point to engage in debate on the merits of his system and even to assign readings hostile to it...Like Mond, he seems to be, some of the time at least, a reasonable man..."(Ward). These two characters are probably the most fascinating in the two works. While Mond is seemingly the villain in Brave New World, he doesn't seem to be intended to evoke hostility from Huxley's readers. Although O'Brien's actions are somewhat demonic, even he is respected by his victim. Perhaps Huxley creates this mild antagonist and Orwell allows O'Brien to maintain a slight degree of this mildness, in order to emphasize the true villain of their novels: the corruptibility humanity. The evil present in these novels cannot be assigned to one individual. Mond, in his passive position of authority, mirrors the passive oppression utilized by the society. O'Brien's actions espouse the violent imposition of power by the society, but it is Winston's respect and submittal to power that is the true villain of the novel.
Another aspect of Ward's article which I found fascinating was his description of O'Brien's observation of Winston. The idea that Winston's "...rebellion is not his own..." that O'Brien had introduced the idea of rebellion to Winston for the sake of experimentation is perhaps the most frightening aspect of Orwell's creation. The idea that Winston has been stripped of his free will, that even his perceived rebellion was orchestrated by the will of the Party is the embodiment of Orwell's society: it controls all facets of human existence. While thought was the one aspect it couldn't control in its entirety, it found a path of control through an individual's subconscious.
Although neither Orwell nor Huxley's vision of the future have yet materialized(to their full extents), both remain a distinct possibility. Despite who influenced who, who borrowed theme and character ideas, these two novels both offer an individual's perspective on the imminent destruction of humanity, a similar fear which manifests itself in the form of two similar, yet vastly different societies. A.C. Ward describes these similarities at length, and while it is clear he finds Huxley's work more compelling, he concedes that both Orwell's vision and Huxley's have prepared us because "...if and when we actually do enter those new and terrible worlds, it will at least be with our eyes open..."