1984 By George Orwell Essay

George Orwell’s 1984 is best recognized as the most compelling warning disseminated against totalitarian governments, markedly due to its writing shortly after the uprising of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. However, the century of 1984 has come and gone; over 30 years later, Orwell’s prophecy has failed to emerge. In fact, the majority of the world is now run by democracy, the polar opposite of the oligarchy depicted in the novel. Recent events seem to invalidate the political prophecy of 1984 altogether. However, it is perhaps hasty to relegate the prophetic societal relevance of the novel. Perhaps, Orwell’s novel is not intriguing due to its political pertinence, but is instead rendered captivating by its nagging and harrowing sense of

However, the novel’s greatest message lies within societal moral shortcomings, and is a warning thereof. In the society of Oceania, immense moral and mental apathy is exhibited. It is, in fact, the aforementioned societal shortcomings that allow the establishment of the disquieting oligarchy that is the Party. It is thus crucial to understand the inner workings of the society that allowed the accession of such obviously callous and manipulative domination. In the novel 1984, Orwell adeptly uses the dystopian civilization of Oceania to expose the way in which an inordinately apathetic society, when given boundless opportunity, welcomes manipulative restraint. The apathetic society of Oceania is best illustrated through the actions of Julia and outer Party members. The ramifications of language, psychological thought and history on the apathetic society can thus be evaluated in order to demonstrate the way in which the Party uses the impact of these elements to their advantage in order to increase the society’s apathy and continue to strengthen their