In this ninth chapter of the second part, Dostoevsky writes a portrait of fear in the context of totalitarian rule. Right before his outburst, Stepan notes that “in our country they can take you, put you in a kibitka, and march you off to Siberia for good, or else forget you in some dungeon…” (Dostoevsky 429). It is at this moment that he realizes that, should his government choose, he could become obsolete. This is similar to the idea of becoming a “nonperson” in 1984 in the sense that the governmental control is so all-encompassing, it has the power to literally erase the individual. This erasure, however, begins with instilling adeep, visceral sense of fear.
If one understands themselves well, they understand that their individuality is unique to them. The power of the individual soul is limitless because there never has been a soul quite like it before, nor will there ever be an exact replica to come into existence. The aim of totalitarian rule is to eradicate this sense of individuality that is inherent in the human spirit, “for to destroy individuality is to destroy spontaneity, man’s power to begin something new out of his own resources, something that cannot be explained on the basis of reactions to environment and events. Nothing then remains but ghastly marionettes with human faces” (Arendt 455). In this passage, Arendt is speaking about the soul power which is borne from individuality. To recognize one’s own unique power is antithetical to totalitarian rule because it implies that there is an inalienable power in each individual as opposed to the government being the ultimate and total source of control. So, in order to combat against the individual’s sense of self, totalitarian governments use one of the most innate human experiences––fear.
When one fears for her well-being––her life, her ability to live freely––there is a certain visceral reaction that is triggered. When Stepan realizes the impending consequences of his perquisition, “he suddenly burst into hot, hot tears. Tears simply poured out of him. He covered his eyes with his red foulard and sobbed, sobbed for a good five minutes, convulsively” (Dostoevsky 429). At this moment, Stepan is not Stepan. He is a human being, an animal, whose sole thought is survival. This is reminiscent of Winston’s paralyzing terror of rats in 1984. Although he was previosuly able to withstand both psychological and physical torture, the moment at which is fear was triggered, Winston’s mind became uniquely trained on survival. This reminds me of a lot of the theories behind hedonism. However, instead of chasing pleasure, this is an attempt to elude fear. What is more, the knowledge that one’s life is dependent on an external entity creates a sort of psychosis that is nearly incomprehensible to those who have been lucky enough to avoid it.
Fear is an enormously powerful tool that is often employed by totalitarian regimes in an effort to control their subjects and to keep them in a perpetual state of not knowing. This fear is intimately tied to the visceral animal desire to live and prosper. When totalitarian regimes are able to strip the individual of their individuality, what is left is an inherent yearning to survive. It is in this way––appealing to that which is irrevocably encoded in a human being’s DNA––that totalitarian rulers are able to exert control on massive scales.