“Questions are a burden to others, answers
a prison for oneself.” They are to those who have to keep asking the same
question over and over again, “Why did he resign?” Because after 48 years
Number 2 is still no closer to getting a complete answer than he was at the
beginning! And the Prisoner doesn’t really want to say why he resigned, for
fear of making a prison for himself. Because once he’s said the reason, then he
cannot take it back!
“A still tongue makes a happy life,” well
keep your mouth shut and you’ll be alright! No-one likes a fishwife going about
The Village shouting her mouth off!
“Humour is the very essence of a democratic
society,” Number 2 once said of Number 6 that he likes his sense of humour. And
Number 6 once said of him “You have a delicate sense of humour,” It might well
be imagined that a sense of humour would be needed in order to survive each day
confined in The Village. Only there are times when The Village seems void of
any such humour. Except when Number 6 said “I am not a number, I am a person,”
the electorate found that hilarious. I suppose the man with the greatest sense
of humour is Number 2 of ‘The Chimes of Bug Ben,’ ‘Once Upon A Time,’ and even
during his trial and confinement in an orbit tube in ‘Fall Out’ he never once
lost his sense of humour. He was always laughing at something or other. I know
that each Number 2 laughs during the opening sequence to ‘the Prisoner,’ only
that’s not because of anything humorous, but from something darker.
“Of the people, by the people, for the
people,’ Number 6 could see that phrase takes on a new meaning in The Village.
Although the use of this phrase in particular, demonstrates that The Village
administration isn’t slow at adopting such phrases from a Gettysburg address, for its own use and
interpretation. Except it’s pure propaganda, seeing as the people in The
Village have very little say in anything.
And the Prisoner, well he’s hardly in the
Labour Exchange for a job interview, only for an aptitude test and even that’s
manipulated, and to fill in a questionnaire for the files of the Labour
Exchange. But why is he appearing to be looking with suspicion at the seated
lady? In any case the assistant behind the counter looks at the Prisoner with
suspicion. What’s more that chap still has his job by the time of the election
of ‘Free For All, unlike some!
Be seeing you
There was one photo showing Villagers queuing in front of the Labour Exchange Office recently. In the first place one would assume that here there's no need for people having to go to work. Aren't they paid enough pension units? Secondly, one wonders how there could be such a mismatch between work seeking Villagers and available job offers. Otherwise there wouldn't be a queue, would it. Thus, it could imply that working was/is compulsary in the Village. Thirdly, always not unthinkable, it was all staged for No. 6. - BCNU!
ReplyDeleteHello Arno,
DeleteThat's right, men and women segragated outside the Labour Exchange. Well I should have thought that there would be the need for people to work in The Village, either compulsory and voluntary, because at the very least it would keep the citizens occupied. There wasn't that much a queue outside the Labour Exhange to be honest. Yes, its not out of the question that is was all staged for Number 6's benefit. if it is someones gone to an awful lot of trouble! As they did for "Truman" in the film 'The Truman Show.'
Very kind regards
David
BCNU