Decrypting Human Agglomeration: Crowds and Power Dynamics in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, George Orwell’s 1984, and Chinua Achebe‘s A Man of the People

Abstract

The individualistic discourse of Western thought has always held an adverse judgement regarding crowds. Fiction and literary readings are inevitably influenced by this prejudicial position. This results in the dissociation of the collective body from the epistemic field of literary criticism. The following research expresses an interest in reading the pair of crowds and power in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, George Orwell’s 1984, and Chinua Achebe‘s A Man of the People comparatively. It essays to accord priority to the crowd by coupling its psychological predispositions with the terrain of power. The reading performed throughout the thesis specifies that while the carnivalistic/grotesque style renders the essence of Crowd Psychology aesthetically, it fails to sustain Bakhtin’s initial assertion of liberation. In addition, given the servile nature of crowds and the efficiency of mediocre leadership in attracting them, the intellectual experiences a crisis to lead over the masses and instruct them into action.