1984 and Enemy of the State do have some lines of comparison. In Orwell's novel, the citizens of Oceania are under constant surveillance and all their actions are dictated by Big Brother's regime. The level of watchful control is so high that often Winston believes that people are able to see even his thoughts. In the film Enemy of the State, the government has proposed a bill that will allow for an expansion of surveillance services over citizens to combat the growing terror threats. Some, however, believe that this will be an invasion of privacy--not surprisingly, these opponents are killed to allow the bill to pass. This is one line of similarity between the novel and the film: the governing powers in both believe that citizens should be monitored to ensure their compliance with the regime.
The two differ, however, in the responses to these power structures. In the film, Robert Dean unknowingly becomes involved and his major goal is to get himself out of the loop. In the novel, Winston has been under the government's control for some time and his job is to help dismantle the elements of the past that might contradict the current system. His resistance begins as a private venture through his journal, not as an attempt to escape harm like Robert Dean.
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