ENGL1100 Introduction to University Writing

The aim of this paper is to analyze the novel by Dave Eggers ‘The Circle'. This paper will be focusing upon Michel Foucault’s essay about the impact of panoptimism upon human behavior. Panoptimism is the model for internal surveillance upon a particular person that is based on Discipline and Punish method (Maharani and Prastiwi). The main augment is that Panoptimism can measure and presumably serve to rehabilitate criminals and thus the society become pure society. The basic principle of Panoptimism is designed to combat a contagious disease by a form of quarantine. A watch tower is designed to strike fear among the people who have tendency to commit crime. The watchtower appears as it is looking over all the citizens but actually create a feeling of Paranoia among them (Filip). This watchtower not only reduced the crime rate but also created attention among people because everybody can watch over innovative. This constantly watching of a person to other can make a person cringe therefore it brings out the best behavior among human beings.

The Circle reflects this concept of continuous observation of one another through lollipop camera that revealed the best human behavior of the characters but torments them.

Dave Egger's The Circle is a dystopian novel which is based on the experience of a young girl Mei Holland. It is reflective of the uses of Technology in today's world where Technology has become inoperative system which is operating the lives of people through hidden cameras. This novel has revealed criticism of the author about how surveillance is making people disciplined but also punishing them to reveal their own thoughts and behavior. It is increasing pretentious behavior and actually contributing in corruption for future (Pignagnoli). this novel is set in future where technology is booming and the society is creating new products and services which are benefiting the world through innovation l. the circle is getting larger and more powerful to establish transparency where all the actions and people will be seen at any time and accountable for actions. The circle is based on the power equation between the common human being and those who are powerful already. Through the camera the lives of people are being controlled because everyone exposing their better behavior under the threat of being watched and monitored at any time. The society therefore is improved for the Paranoia caused by the threat of someone potentially watching another at every moment.
Mae is not an exception in this circle because she is constantly monitored by Mercer. They work in different sectors but actually cannot complete their tasks because they are wasting time by watching one and other. Despite the fact the society in the circle is segregated through different departments developed on the basis of labor and capacity of people.

Panoptimism is very much present in Mae's life because she gets her job at the circle and she becomes distant from her real family and old friends. In this Tech and social media company she works in the customer support position and connects with millions of virtual friends worldwide. She can watch over their lives which the company does for her (Gouck). In dealing with customers, she is forced to use her best behavior otherwise the company will not keep her. This concept is prominent throughout this novel and proves to be punishment for herself as well as the rest of the characters in The Circle. Here the company is focusing upon people so that they can complete their own work and do not waste time. The camera works like the watchtower in the theory of Foucault where people will be continuously watching one another and getting watched. This is the way of keeping people within their house quarantined and preventing the disease from spreading everywhere. This also eliminates scope for communication therefore the authority games more power and abuse it as their subjects are bound to over being locked under the law (Maurer and Rostbøll). It is a power to punish people without hurting them physically but violating human rights when nobody can question.

Therefore it can be concluded that the idea of Panoptimism is prominent in this novel making it a particular place exactly described by Foucault. It reveals how simple monitoring observation can prove to be punishing where people cannot express their emotions freely and always remained under the threat of being watched. This constant observation makes them restless and uncomfortable enhancing corruption within The Circle. This novel relates the contemporary issue of loss of privacy and the outcome.

References:

Filip, Loredana. "The Future of the Enhanced Self and Contemporary Science Fiction: TED Talks and Dave Eggers' The Circle." Current Objectives of Postgraduate American Studies 20.1 (2019).

Gouck, Jennifer. "." Ijas Online 7 (2018): 57-64.

Maharani, Ekawati Tyas, and Yeny Prastiwi. Protest Against the Loss of Privacy in Dave Eggers' The Circle Novel (2013): A Sociological Perspective. Diss. Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, 2019.

Maurer, Kathrin, and Christian F. Rostbøll. "Demoxie: Reflections on digital democracy in Dave Eggers' novel The Circle." First Monday (2020).

Pignagnoli, Virginia. "Surveillance in Post-Postmodern American Fiction: Dave Eggers’s The Circle, Jonathan Franzen’s Purity and Gary Shteyngart’s Super Sad True Love Story." Spaces of Surveillance. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2017. 151-167.

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