A tyrannical Mind

When thinking of the word oppression, one might correlate it to some image of a person slaving away in a rice field, an Afghan woman dressed in a burkha, or a Jewish family imprisoned in a concentration camp. However, it is interesting to note that what all of these correlations have in common is that all of them are not self-imposed. While one might argue that since the definition of oppression is imposing cruel and unjust authority, there is nothing exceptional about this observation since it is assumed that such an exercise of power will come from an outside source. Unfortunately, this assumption is not a realistic one, since many people’s greatest obstacles in life come from the inhibitions they set for themselves. These inhibitions can end up serving as oppressive forces, similar to ones imposed by governments, which prevent people from living their lives. When comparing both forms of oppression, one will most definitely state that self-imposed, or personal oppression, does not even compare to the severity of the type imposed by governments and other outside sources. While this argument is true to some extent there is one word, when considered, explains why personal oppression is just as severe. This word is something that everyone desires. This word is the basis of power. This word is “control.” What makes self-imposed oppression so frightening is that it involves inhibitions that can be controlled by the person himself. If one loses control of their mind and falls victim to abstract views of him or herself, then they easily fall prey to outside oppressive forces, which unfortunately can not be controlled as easily. This possibility of losing control is a common fear for people. Therefore, people spend their entire lives trying to rid themselves of the oppressive forces lurking inside of their veins, all in order to gain control of their lives, because there is nothing that people want more than to be free.

The lengths to which people will go to in order to insure that this fear, of falling victim to self oppression, does not become a reality is a common theme for many American writers. While they may not all pursue the topic of oppression, such as in the Middle East, almost every author creates a character that at one point has to overcome some inhibition to free him or herself from self imposed oppression. There are various levels of inhibitions, with government oppression being the highest and most sever. Inhibitions can be evident on a personal level, such as the desire to attain confidence in order to escape a worthless image of oneself. This inhibition can burrow itself into a person’s spirit and become the force that propels his or her actions until death. While fearing one’s personal oppression is not as severe as considering government imposed oppression, it is still as powerful because without personal freedom, one is captured in a self-imposed image that prevents him or her from living life. What better character to relate this description to than Jay Gatsby from the novel “The Great Gatsby,” written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Gatsby is a lonesome character who strips his life from his past and the people who truly love him, all in order to attain an image, which he believes, will free him from his personal sorrows. What Gatsby fears the most is not having control over his life, especially not being able to conform himself into the image which will make Daisy fall in love with him. This fear of living life without Daisy motivates him to attain a lifestyle of glamour and wealth, all in order to please the love of his life. For Gatsby, money is the key that unlocks him from his oppressed view of himself, because he reasons that only with money he will be able to end up with Daisy.

Fitzgerald did not blindly chose to sculpt a character that uses money as a means to attain freedom from self imposed oppression; he chose money because he lived in a time where people correlated money with entrances to various possibilities in life. Having a series of open doors is simply a way to insure that one will have the freedom of choice. Gatsby understood this concept all too well, which is why he chose a life of unhappiness, filled with wealth, because by gaining a fortune he at least had the possibility of ending up with Daisy. Otherwise, Gatsby would have remained locked up in his world of poverty with no entrance to Daisy’s heart, since the key to her heart is money. This scenario, although fictional in context, is not fictional at all because it depicts the measures that people will take to free themselves from their personal inhibitions. Unfortunately, like Gatsby, many people’s inhibitions are money as well.

This scenario is all too common for people today because no one wants to have only one possible road to take in life. Having one road is characteristic of living in Afghanistan where the government dictates what one can do with his or her future. Money, on the other hand, can open up many doors, which might not be as necessary today, is still extremely beneficial. People are inclined to correlate money with safety, whether it is physical, emotional, or financial, because it is a means of entrance into almost anything. With money one can buy an expensive house, hire a body guard, and marry the person who would under normal circumstances never look at them. Therefore, people spend their entire lives trying to attain wealth because it ensures a lifestyle filled with choices and safety from oppression.

Oppression is a common fear shared by all people. No one wants to be bound up by any means, whether physical, mental, or emotional. Therefore, people as a whole are inclined to do everything in their power to insure that they have control of their lives. The first step in gaining control is ridding oneself of mental visions, which can prevent one from living a normal life. If these visions are not controlled, then the person can easily become a victim of more serious forms of oppression and end up slaving away in a rice field.