The Strength of Ignorance; or How Fear Skinned the Cat

How many times have you not wanted to know what you already know you know?

Psychologists have given a name to this experience…”repression”.

Unfortunately, the human brain is made up in such as way that once it is aware of a piece of information, it cannot easily be erased. This information could consist of a memory, a fact, or an experience. No matter how deeply someone tries to stuff this piece of data down, or ignore that it exists, it will eventually surface like a drowning victim gasping for air. Human nature cannot accept what it knows is not the truth. It is the core of human existence, this search for the truth. And when the bubble reaches the surface, it depends on the character of the individual as to how they will deal with facing it.

Two characters who dealt with this situation in different ways are Kazuo Ishiguro’s protagonist “Ono” and George Orwell’s main character “Winston”. Each man found his own path from resistance to acceptance, but ultimately found themselves at very different places in the end.

Ono is a man who is living in the not so distant past, trying to deal with the effects of a recent war on his country of Japan, and on himself. He is an artist who as a young man, after fighting against and finally ignoring his father’s wishes, embarks on a career of learning from a painting master how to perfect the technique of yugio-e. After years of dedication and living under some very poor and sometimes harsh conditions, Ono finds himself the star pupil of his sensei.  At the same time, he is maturing and opening his eyes to the political and social realities of his country. However, when Ono tries to reflect this new found truth in his art, he is rejected not only by his fellow artists, but by his sensei. It is not only the ultimatum he is given by his sensei that creates the impetus he needs to strike out on his own, but also the fact that his teacher does the same thing Ono’s father did when he was a child; he burns Ono’s “offensive” paintings. Ono decides to take a position he is offered with an organization that creates very different artwork than the kind Ono has been creating. The rumblings of war in his country have caused the government to look for artists to design “certain kinds” of art works to bring the people together and create a feeling of national unity. Ono’s ego is stroked by these people just enough for him to ignore any negative feelings about what he is being asked to do. The young, idealistic man who was beginning to open his eyes to how his government was treating the poor and powerless in his country, turned away from what his heart was telling him and embraced the fear and oppression of a government bent on war and domination. It is at this point that Ono does what many human beings attempt to do: push what he knows is the truth down as far as he can, and turn toward something that he knows could eventually destroy his soul.

By the time the war is over and Japan has lost, Ono has become very proficient at playing the humble, famous painter; in fact he is convinced that he believes it all himself. He has gained a certain power and fame from creating these pieces of art for his country. But this position he has earned is now an embarrassment to his family. The political climate is now one that consists of men who are broken and guilty of leading their country into a disastrous war. Everyone wants to see justice done, and the guilty confess their sins. Ono is now in the position of being expected to apologize for what he created during the war. At first he cannot do it; he is still living the lie that his mind created. He cannot see what he has done that deserves to be apologized for. But when the price becomes too high for Ono to continue to pretend (his daughter may lose her opportunity to marry the man she wants) he finally allows himself to see the truth. He sees that “good faith” is not enough of an excuse to ignore the truth. Ono acknowledges the possibility of his negative role in the war, via his art. Even after this acknowledgment however, Ono cannot completely return to the former, idealistic man that he was before the war. To look at him self full in the face and admit what he had allowed his art to be used for would probably destroy him. So he only admits enough of the truth to seem as if he takes responsibility. His fear stops him from any more than that. By the end of the story, Ono has found a place to exist were truth does not shine too brightly on his memories. He finds himself hoping for the future, and leaving the restoration of his country to the next generation’s version of truth.

Winston is a man who is living in the far future (or perhaps somewhere other than Earth) where the truth is hidden by rewriting it. He is different than Ono in that he begins his story completely believing in the truth of his life and his government. He actually works as part of his government and facilitates the repression of truth by rewriting its history. No one in his world is ever out from under the surveillance of “big brother”. No one has an original thought or ever questions what they are told. But underneath this surface of complete control, there are bubbles starting to rise. Winston begins to have thoughts and memories that he cannot explain to himself. He knows better than to admit these things to anyone. Eventually he breaks the law by obtaining and beginning a diary of his own thoughts. As Winston records the things he is thinking about, the bubbles begin to break the surface and he realizes that his truth and the government’s are not the same. This realization is not one that he shies away from as Ono does. Winston’s memories of the past become so compelling that by degrees he starts to refuse to follow the rules and begins to seek out others who seem to feel as he does. He begins a relationship with a woman named Julia who seems to at times push Winston toward the truth he is seeking. But his revolution is doomed from the start, as the government knows all and sees all and takes steps to stop Winston’s freedom of thought and action. He is taken and tortured by the government, and re-brainwashed into believing their truth once again. Winston’s story is a sadder one than Ono’s, in that Ono finds a place to be comfortable with the differences between his truth and everyone else’s. Winston’s journey toward the truth is, for all intents and purposes, erased. He finds himself back at square one. One man’s fear to face the truth causes him to deny parts of his life; the other man’s bravery causes others to fear him and his truth is destroyed. But is it?

As I stated at the beginning, human beings cannot live without a search for the truth. We would not probably have evolved socially and psychologically as far as we have without this need to uncover what is true. I cannot help but believe that as history unfolds in Winston’s world, more and more bubbles will break the surface for the people there and eventually their government’s truth will crumble to greater forces.

As for Ono, we all know people (perhaps even ourselves) who learn to accept an abbreviated version of the truth that they can live with. Usually later generations must deal with what their ancestors could or would not. The strength of ignorance may not be as strong as we think, as long as we do not allow fear to skin the cat before he can satisfy his curiosity.