Raymond vs. Brody

Although The Manchurian Candidate and Homeland set their stories in two completely different time periods, they seem to represent the same issues of war through their main characters. The similarities between Raymond and Brody are made quite clear within the first few minutes of the film and TV series as both military men make their way home. Upon arrival, enormous crowds of people supporting their difficult journey from war greet them. Initially represented as brave and courageous leaders in the armed force, many believe that they are highly honorable beings in society. However, as the stories progress in both television programs, the audience realizes that they portray false personas to the public, which aid in the deception of their country’s ideals and create hysteria within American citizens.

In the Manchurian Candidate Raymond is portrayed as a medal honor hero after saving his comrades lives in combat. However, as the story progresses the audience learns that this story is a fabrication constructed by communist authorities to portray Raymond as an honorable member of society, while conditioning him to promote communism. By conditioning him to follow their orders, Raymond becomes subordinate to the communist power and unconsciously kills people under their command. Similarly, Brody from Homeland, is portrayed in a similar angle in which he is portrayed as a war hero after surviving imprisonment and torture from Middle Eastern authorities in Iraq. However, what the story progresses to reveal upon the end of the show is Brody's hidden involvement with the tortures of his comrades after being forced to side with Middle Eastern forces.

Both stories emphasize the terrors of society during the Cold War and War of Terror through main characters, Brody and Raymond by portraying them as traitors to their country. Using the betrayal of their country's ideals, while staged as war veterans served as a powerful tactic to increase communist and terrorist hysteria within America. Furthermore, they contributed to feeding the American's fears of communism and Islam through American characters that portrayed the “evil” and “corrupted” mindsets. Subsequently, nation wide paranoia was created through both media portrayals of The Cold War and The War on Terror, disenabling people to trust those around them.

"Red Scare." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2016. <http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/red-scare>.

"War on Terror Mainstream Media and Propaganda." - Global Issues. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2016. <http://www.globalissues.org/article/352/mainstream-media-and-propaganda>.