Authority and Control: Common Themes as Portrayed in Popular Books and Movies

In the chapter "Panopticism" from the book Discipline and Punish: the Birth of the Prison, (1979,) Michel Foucault says that "visibility is a trap," because "full lighting and the eye of a supervisor capture better than darkness." Thus he claims that an extremely effective way of controlling someone is to never let them be exactly certain of whether or not they are being watched, but allow them to know that they may be looked in upon at any time. These are the same general principles on which surveillance cameras and security guards function: the average individual, when faced with the possibility of being seen, will usually choose to play it safe, by putting forth the desired behavior.

This sort of control is depicted in the film Twelve Monkeys. James Cole has a tracking device inside his head, and although we are never told at what times he is being watched, we know that theoretically he could constantly be seen. Cole carries out the orders he is told to perform because he has no choice, as shown at the beginning of the film, when he is chosen - against his will - to "volunteer" for an assignment.

Near the end of the film, Cole becomes desperate and tries to escape; but he can't. He removes the tracking device from his head, believing that he will then be free to live the rest of his life without interference from his superiors. He thought he could escape their clutches, but it is not long before they arrive on the scene with more orders for him; this time threatening to kill his friend if he does not cooperate. They know that he has attempted to break away from them, but rather than arriving in all of their intimidating supremacy, they send one man - a messenger - to let Cole know that he has not eluded their grasp; and when James Cole glances around, he sees that there are other men watching him as well. This is to convey the calm yet powerful workings of the system, and establish a sense of awe in the individual: James Cole wanted to get away, but he is still being watched, and so must do as he is told.

Michel Foucault stresses the importance of never letting people know if they are being watched, but in Twelve Monkeys it becomes necessary to make a demonstration of just how strong the system really is. When Cole began to feel that he had liberated himself, the powers-that-be were forced to remind him that he was still being watched; otherwise, he would have run away from them and stopped submitting to their demands. When an individual begins to believe that no one is paying any attention to what he does, he may begin to feel strong, because no one else knows what he is up to; it is important then, for the authorities, that the individual know that he is mistaken.

MAUS: a Survivor's Tale gives another example of this internalized fear, on pages 123-125; except that in this case, neither party is visible. Many Jews are being arrested, but Vladek Spiegelman and a few others are hiding in the wall of a shoe shop. They know that there are Nazis outside, and some of the Jews even make contact with the Nazis, offering money for a safe getaway; the Nazis agree, but after receiving the payment, kill the Jews. After this incident, the remaining Jews keep to their bunker; they know that the Nazis are dangerous, and not to be trusted. But from inside, the Jews have no way of knowing whether or not the Nazis have left yet. They have no choice but to remain hidden, starving and miserable for days on end, out of fear. Even when the Nazis do leave, the Jews cannot be sure; but to leave the safety of the shoe shop is far too risky. This differs from Twelve Monkeys, because in this case the suffering party was invisible; but the general concept is the same as what Foucault described in his book: that fear can be either a great adversary or a useful tool; especially when that fear cannot be confirmed.

The Matrix is a film about freedom, and says that we are all prisoners; this time, though, the prison is much more tangible than in the other examples (but still not a physical cage). In both Twelve Monkeys and in MAUS, the protagonist is held prisoner by his own fear, springing from his belief in the power and the strength of authority. In The Matrix, however, the prisoners do not know that they are being held captive; they are living in an alternate reality which they believe to be the real world, and where they are kept under control by AI "agents." The character Morpheus says, "What is the Matrix? Control. The Matrix is a computer-generated dream world, built to keep us under control." He also says that "you are a slave... Like everyone else, you were born into bondage; born into a prison that you cannot smell, or taste, or touch: a prison for your mind." We have spoken about being a metaphorical "prisoner," but in The Matrix it is much more literal: the humans are trapped by their own minds, with no way of escape. In contrast to Twelve Monkeys and MAUS, the captives of the Matrix are content to be imprisoned, because they believe that they are free. Cypher sums up their condition in stating, "Ignorance is bliss."

In The Matrix and in Fahrenheit 451, we are shown that those in control are not necessarily the most qualified people for the position, and we see how one man can make a difference through the act of rebellion. In 1963, Erich Fromm discredited the so called "virtues" of obeying authority for authority's sake, and said that we should obey only those whom we know we can trust ("Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem"). Fromm also tells us that rebellion can be the correct path, when the need arises, as obedience may lead to destruction, in cases like war. Thus, it is often essential to question what we are told, rather than following blindly.

In The Matrix, Thomas "Neo" Anderson rebels against the organization; at first skeptical as to whether or not he can make a difference, he turns out to be the one person who can set things right. Neo is a nobody. He is a single man with a middle-class job and a gift for computers; in other words, he is boring. But he has been searching for meaning; for an answer. Something is wrong with the world, and Neo wants to know what it is; Morpheus describes it as "a splinter in your mind, driving you mad." Morpheus reveals the workings of the system to Neo, who now recognizes the fact that up to this point he has been a prisoner. He had been previously unaware of the situation, but now he sees the twisted plot of the machines that run our world, and he knows that something must be done. It has been prophesied that there would be a man with the ability to change the world around him, simply by thinking it; Morpheus believes that Neo is this man, and in the end we discover that he truly is. Neo did not believe that he was "The One," but he stood up and fought, just the same; and he not only survived, he also saved his friend's life, defeated the AI, and got the girl. We need to fight for what is right, even when it looks hopeless; and there is always the chance that we will prevail.

In Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag loses everything he has, simply because he collects books, (which is against the law). But Montag's refusal to obey ultimately saves his life, (as his city is destroyed the next day), and in the end he feels more alive than he has ever felt before. Montag, like Neo, has been looking for meaning in his life. Montag's job is to destroy books, but he starts to become curious about their contents, and wonders if this could be what is missing from his life. Naturally, Montag knows that it is illegal to own a book, but he begins to secretly take them home with him. He wants to know what is being hidden from the every-day citizen. When he is discovered, (turned in by his own wife,) Montag is forced to burn his own house; after that he is running for his life, trying to escape the police. He has lost his job, his wife and his home, and now it is doubtful that he can escape with his life; but Montag shows no remorse for his actions, not even when he murders his own boss: Montag is determined to get free from the corrupt organization. At last, Montag escapes into the wilderness, where he cannot be found by the authorities. It is here, out in the wild and away from the city's power and demands, where Montag finally begins to feel complete.

He stood breathing, and the more he breathed the land in, the more he was filled up with all the details of the land. He was not empty. There was more than enough here to fill him. There would always be more than enough (144).

Montag broke several laws, and was pursued by the authorities, who wanted to kill him; but finally, after losing everything he'd ever known, he found freedom.

These two texts stand in stark contrast to Twelve Monkeys, which seems to teach the sheer helplessness of a single individual. Erich Fromm understood the fear of vulnerability when he wrote that "in order to disobey, one must have the courage to be alone, to err, and to sin." We have seen the positive outcomes that can result from rebellion, and now we are shown the negative. In Twelve Monkeys, James Cole wants to be free; like Montag, all Cole really wants is "to see the sky, and the ocean; to be topside. Breathe the air..." But where Neo and Montag succeeded, James Cole fails. Cole tries to escape the control of his superiors, but they find him, and where the characters of The Matrix and Fahrenheit 451 found life and freedom, James Cole finds only death. The film does not necessarily promote the idea of obeying authority, as disobedience will bring death: it merely portrays the overwhelming power of those in control