History Main / RageWithinTheMachine

When a main character is loyally part of a party or division linked to the government, but is beginning to doubt if said party/division is right about their beliefs and policies, or, in extreme, rebels. Often used in [[{{Dystopia}} dystopian]] fiction. In older works, especially Orwellian styled fiction, it was common that at the end [[DownerEnding the rebel's faith would be restored, or they would be killed.]] This was an unfortunate side effect of the mildly Anvilicious [[AnAesop aesops]] the writers would work into their stories. In newer works, however, the fate of the rebellious character is often different, although death or brainwashing are still completely possible.

* In ''Fanfic/OriginStory'', Tony Stark was the instigator of the Superhuman Registration Act. By the end of this story, he's one of Act's most vocal critics within the government, and is actively campaigning to have it repealed.

* John Anderton from ''Film/MinorityReport'', who starts to doubt the justice of his mission around the time he gets framed.

* This is the plot of ''Film/TheLivesOfOthers'', in which a member of UsefulNotes/TheStasi (the SecretPolice of UsefulNotes/EastGermany) develops a sympathy for the people he is surveiling, which causes him to doubt the righteousness of what he does in his job.

* ''Series/TheBarrier'': Several characters who are intially part of the government take this path. Luis creeps closer and closer towards this between a tendency for people who try to warn him that the government is trying to get rid of him dying soon after and [[spoiler:an orphan his family took in turning out to not actually be an orphan]]. Later, another character[[spoiler:'s son turns out to have been taken away from him by means similar to thos by which Luis' adoptive son was taken away from his biological parents]] and would hence have every reason to walk the same path as Luis, but doesn't. Luis explains to Emilia that those who are part of the system are the most confused when they discover its dark sides.

** According to quite a few religious (and some secular but metaphysically inclined) philosophers this is the default state of humanity: being in opposition to a larger cosmic purpose and instinctively driven to ScrewDestiny regardless of the outcome. There is as much disagreement on whether this is a good thing or a bad thing as there is on what said cosmic purpose actually is (or if it's there at all).

* ''Literature/{{Fatherland}}'':Xavier March is [[BigBrotherIsEmployingYou Nazi policeman]] living in [[AlternateHistoryNaziVictory a victorious Nazi Reich]]. By the beginning of the story, he has become increasingly dis-enamored with the Nazi regime he serves, refusing to become a hardcore Party supporter. Things only get worse when he learns of the fate of Jews who were "sent East"...

* The City Watch in general and Vimes in particular in the Literature/{{Discworld}} novel ''Discworld/NightWatch''. ''Discworld/{{Jingo}}'' is an arguable case, since they never had any loyalty to Rust, but to the ruler he deposed.

Compare to BigBrotherIsEmployingYou, MyCountryRightOrWrong, MyMasterRightOrWrong, InternalReformist, JustFollowingOrders, and mostly DefectorFromDecadence.

* ''Literature/Fatherland'':Xavier March is [[BigBrotherIsEmployingYou Nazi policeman]] living in [[AlternateHistoryNaziVictory a victorious Nazi Reich]]. By the beginning of the story, he has become increasingly dis-enamored with the Nazi regime he serves, refusing to become a hardcore Party supporter. Things only get worse when he learns of the fate of Jews who were "sent East"...

* Xavier March is [[BigBrotherIsEmployingYou Nazi policeman]] living in [[AlternateHistoryNaziVictory a victorious Nazi Reich]]. By the beginning of the story, he has become increasingly dis-enamored with the Nazi regime he serves, refusing to become a hardcore Party supporter. Things only get worse when he learns of the fate of Jews who were "sent East"...

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* In ''FanFic/OriginStory'', Tony Stark was the instigator of the Superhuman Registration Act. By the end of this story, he's one of Act's most vocal critics within the government, and is actively campaigning to have it repealed.

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* Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz from ''Film/InglouriousBasterds''. As an enlisted man, he killed 13 Gestapo officers, plus he has the honor of dying while doing what he loved best - stabbing an already dead Nazi in the back of the head with a large knife.

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* D-503 in Yevgeny Zamyatin's ''Literature/{{We}}'' - but at first he cannot grasp the fact that he feels the urge to rebel...and considers it a sickness.

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* In ''Literature/TheBible'', Judas started to doubt Jesus and, in the end, betrayed him, leading to the crucifixion. It is debatable whether it counts, though.

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* Cloud Strife in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''.

* In ''Series/{{Nikita}}'' Nikita rebels right away when Division kills her boyfriend. Micheal on the other hand stays loyal even though he had doubts for a long time.

When a main character is loyally part of a party or division linked to the government, but is beginning to doubt if said party/division is right about their beliefs and policies, or, in extreme, rebels. Often used in [[{{Dystopia}} dystopian]] fiction. In older works, especially Orwellian styled fiction, it was common that at the end [[DownerEnding the rebel's faith would be restored, or they would be killed.]] This was an unfortunate side effect of the mildly Anvilicious [[AnAesop aesops]] the writes would work into their stories. In newer works, however, the fate of the rebellious character is often different, although death or brainwashing are still completely possible.

* Paul Proteus from KurtVonnegut's ''Player Piano''.

* This is the plot of ''Film/TheLivesOfOthers'', in which a member of TheStasi (the SecretPolice of EastGermany) develops a sympathy for the people he is surveiling, which causes him to doubt the righteousness of what he does in his job.

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* Winston Smith in ''[[Literature/NineteenEightyFour 1984]]'' has to be one of the most famous examples who secretly rebels against Big Brother [[spoiler: and is psychologically crushed for it. The last line is "He loved Big Brother".]]

* Guy Montag in ''{{Fahrenheit 451}}'' is curious about the books he is paid to burn and takes one home.

Not to be confused with ManInTheMachine... unless, of course, it's a {{cyborg}} [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters rebelling]] [[PhlebotinumRebel against]] those that made him/her/it [[ViralTransformation abduct]] and [[UnwillingRoboticisation robotisize others]]. Also, not to be confused with RageAgainstTheMachine. Or [[http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/dec/21/charlie-brooker-rage-against-the-machine this article,]] from which the title was derived.

* The player has the option to become one of these in certain class quests in ''VideoGame/TheOldRepublic'', either trying to reform the Sith Empire as a [[NobleDemon light-side]] Sith Inquisitor or Imperial Agent, or rejecting the corruption of the Republic as a [[IDidWhatIHadToDo dark-side]] Jedi Knight or Trooper. Several companions, including Jaesa Willsaam, Ashara Zavros, and Lord Scourge ([[spoiler: the ex-Emperor's Wrath]]) also have elements of this in their storylines.

* General Crozier and Cardinal Ravenwood from ''{{Metalocalypse}}''.

* Happens at at some point to every judge in ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' when they recognize the faults in the plainly dictatorial system. Dredd himself notably lost faith and resigned from his post just before the events of "Necropolis".

Not to be confused with ManInTheMachine... unless, of course, it's a {{cyborg}} [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters rebelling]] [[PhlebotinumRebel against]] those that made him/her/it [[ViralTransformation abduct]] and [[UnwillingRoboticisation robotisize others]]. Also, not to be confused with RageAgainstTheMachine. Or [[http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/dec/21/charlie-brooker-rage-against-the-machine this article]], from which the title was derived.

!!Examples

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* Happens at at some point to every judge in ''JudgeDredd''. Dredd himself notably lost faith and resigned from his post just before the events of "Necropolis."

When a main character is loyally part of a party or division linked to the government, but is beginning to doubt if said party/division is right about their beliefs and policies, or, in extreme, rebels. Often used in [[{{Dystopia}} dystopian]] fiction - it's common that at the end the rebel's faith is restored, or they get killed.

Compare to BigBrotherIsEmployingYou, MyCountryRightOrWrong, MyMasterRightOrWrong, JustFollowingOrders, and mostly DefectorFromDecadence.

* Juliet from ''Series/{{Lost}}'' is an example of this...particularly in the episode ''I Do''.
* Deep Throat of ''TheXFiles'' fed Mulder information from his position in authority.

* Kyle Katarn of the ''DarkForcesSaga'' started out as an Imperial officer and rebelled.