Contemplating the profound connections within 1984 and the relationships it explores, leads one to understand the foreshadowing and allusions manifested through Orwell’s words. From the onerous relationship between Oceania’s government and its people, the delicately fabricated alliance between comrade’s, and the unlawful communication with one’s own mind, what binds the novel together is an aura of leeriness bubbling beneath the surface, tangible in modern day America. Delving into the government of Oceania in 1984, the correlation to today is irrefutable. Both the United States and Oceania possess a similar relationship between their governments and the publics they govern. Though the novel is set in a dystopian society and today we practice …show more content…
Today, many encounter a variety of the same issues that characters battle mentally in the book. In the novel, the proles compare to the modern middle class in the fact that they are completely unaffected by the Party because they are too busy. “Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious” (pg. 70) In this thought to himself Winston describes the conflict within the existence of the proles, due to the fact that they are too busy and too uniformed to make a difference they survive through obliviousness. Therefore, their relationship with their minds is one of vacancy. Connecting the proles’ mindset to those of the working class can be analyzed through the voting system in political elections, as the belief that one vote doesn’t matter leads many to neglect their voting privilege. Winston’s relationship with his thoughts is fascinating and relatable to a fundamental few. A hope for the truth and a silent revolt encompass Winston’s inner quarrel. “If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself.” (pg. 281) This quotes details the insufferable truth that all thought is revealed and that thoughtcrime is death. The thought police were unnecessary because in the novel Winston reveals his thoughts to O’Brien and Julia confiding in them, only to be betrayed, exemplifying the fact that Winston’s …show more content…
Brimming with allusions to modern-day America, the novel addresses a variety of issues relevant today. The intricate connections made throughout the novel are epitomized by the relationships it creates, and their effects on the characters, as well as the
Deception and a blatant contradiction of facts in the spirit of impunity form the foundation of the construct of modern dictatorship and draconian governance. Leaders with this attitude treat the public office and nation as personal property and deploy the state resources at their disposal for selfish use. Their behavior takes the form of frivolous “surveillances, monitoring, and other control structures founded on lies and ambiguities” (Dean and Orwell 23). The same scenario is exactly what happens at Oceania. The nation is governed by the party headed by the big brother (“Gordon State College” n.p.).
The novel 1984 is one that has sparked much controversy over the last several decades. It harbors many key ideas that lie at the root of all skepticism towards the book. With the ideas of metaphysics, change, and control in mind, George Orwell wrote 1984 to provide an interesting story but also to express his ideas of where he believed the world was heading. His ideas were considered widely ahead of their time, and he was really able to drive home how bleak and colorless our society really is. Orwell wrote this piece as a futuristic, dystopian book which contained underlying tones of despair and deceit.
It is clear that the government of Oceania in 1984 is self-serving, existing not to benefit its citizens or the elite Party members, but existing purely to exist and grow. Perhaps the most clear indication of this was O’Brien explaining the Party’s motives while torturing Winston. O’Brien explains that “the Party seeks power only for its own sake” and that “the object of power is power.” (185) This clearly indicates that the government of Oceania, a totalitarian state, seeks power not to improve the lives of citizens, but for power
loss, it's to do with futility. For all he did, for all the rules he
Many works of literature have the main character’s downfall caused by one of their main traits. In 1984 by George Orwell the main character, Winston, displays envy many times throughout the novel. From the first chapter when he starts to rebel against the Party in small ways to the middle and end of the book when he says he will do anything to destroy the Party. Winston’s envy leads to many good things for him, such as finding Mr. Charrington’s shop and meeting Julia, however it also leads to his downfall.
George Orwell creates a dark, depressing and pessimistic world where the government has full control over the masses in the novel 1984. The protagonist, Winston, is low-level Party member who has grown to resent the society that he lives in. Orwell portrays him as a individual that begins to lose his sanity due to the constrictions of society. There are only two possible outcomes, either he becomes more effectively assimilated or he brings about the change he desires. Winston starts a journey towards his own self-destruction. His first defiant act is the diary where he writes “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER.” But he goes further by having an affair with Julia, another party member, renting a room over Mr. Carrington’s antique shop where Winston conducts this affair with Julia, and by following O’Brien who claims to have connections with the Brotherhood, the anti-Party movement led my Emmanuel Goldstein. Winston and Julia are both eventually arrested by the Thought Police when Mr. Carrington turns out to be a undercover officer. They both eventually betray each other when O’Brien conducts torture upon them at the Ministry of Love. Orwell conveys the limitations of the individual when it comes to doing something monumental like overthrowing the established hierarchy which is seen through the futility of Winston Smith’s actions that end with his failure instead of the end of Big Brother. Winston’s goal of liberating himself turns out to be hopeless when the people he trusted end up betraying him and how he was arbitrarily manipulated. It can be perceived that Winston was in fact concerned more about his own sanity and physical well-being because he gives into Big Brother after he is tortured and becomes content to live in the society he hated so much. Winston witnesses the weakness within the prole community because of their inability to understand the Party’s workings but he himself embodies weakness by sabotaging himself by associating with all the wrong people and by simply falling into the arms of Big Brother. Orwell created a world where there is no use but to assimilate from Winston’s perspective making his struggle utterly hopeless.
The relationship between the two is seen as stubborn because “The absolute power of this oppressive system is threatened by the pretense of even a single dissident, someone who can laugh at its pretentiousness, energized by remembering when life was different and better, and by imagining future realities, future possible selves, with meaningful opinions and viable choices.” Winston, opposed to the Party’s values, causes a state of fear in the power, and it becomes necessary for them that they use external forces to convert them to the Party’s ways. The citizens are under constant watch because the Party is afraid that Winston, along with people similar to Winston, could cause an uprising that could overtake the power from the
George Orwell’s haunting dystopian novel 1984 delves into the closely monitored lives of the citizens of Oceania as the Party tries to take control of society. In totalitarianism, propaganda and terrorism are ways of subjugation with a main goal: total obedience. He aimed to create a “what if” novel, what would happen if totalitarian regimes, such as the Nazis and Soviets, were to take over the world. If totalitarianism were to happen, the leader would be the brain of the whole system. Orwell emphasizes the theme of individualism versus collective identity through Winston, the protagonist, and his defiance to the Party and Big Brother, with a frightening tone, surreal imagery and a third person limited point of view.
Every person has their own motivations, or in other words, their own reasons for their desires, actions, and needs. People such as serial killers are often motivated to commit their crimes by the desire to hurt people, which often can be traced back to a rough childhood. On the other hand there’s people such as doctors and lawyers who came from similar circumstances; yet they were motivated by a desire to escape their past, particularly through the means of success. However often, we might not even know the motivation behind our own actions, which hinders our self control. Perhaps this is why people often make rash decisions. This can be seen in the case of Winston Smith in the novel 1984 by George Orwell. Throughout the book Winston continually
In the novel 1984, Orwell produced a social critique on totalitarianism and a future dystopia that made the world pause and think about our past, present and future. When reading this novel we all must take the time to think of the possibility that Orwell's world could come to pass. Orwell presents the concepts of power, marginalization, and resistance through physical, psychological, sexual and political control of the people of Oceania. The reader experiences the emotional ride through the eyes of Winston Smith, who was born into the oppressive life under the rule of Ingsoc. Readers are encouraged through Winston to adopt a negative opinion on the idea of communist rule and the inherent dangers of totalitarianism. The psychological manipulation and physical control are explored through Winston's journey, and with Winston's resistance and ultimate downfall, the reader is able to fully appreciate O'Briens reasoning, "Power is not a means, it is an end."
Works Cited for: Orwell, George. 1984. The 'Standard' of the ' London: Penguin Books, 2008. Print. The.
In 1984, George Orwell creates a communistic society where the government has all of the power over the people and continually exploits it in every aspect of their lives. Orwell has the government of 1984, the Party; utilize some distinct methods of ruling the masses that are largely effective. The methods mainly used are manipulating the naturally existing love and hate that people have. By exploiting these emotions, the people are filled with a sense of love and adoration for Big Brother, coupled with fear towards the enemy. This method is particularly successful in the Oceania, the society of 1984, which is a larger metaphor to show the downsides of a totalitarian type government and how too much power in the hands of the few is a terrible
For example, Orwell shows readers a statement regarding the Proles of the society on page 161, “The masses never revolt of their own accord, and they never revolt merely because they are oppressed. Indeed, so long as they are not permitted to have standards of comparison, they never even become aware that they are oppressed.” ( Orwell,207). The proles in Oceania are the outcasts of society, yet they have the potential to rebel against the principals of the Party. However, Winston recognizes that the Party has blinded them, causing them to be unaware of the conditions in which they are living in. Furthermore, Orwell adds a thought of Winston’s relating to his relationship with Julia by claiming, “ But you could not have pure love or pure lust nowadays. No emotion was pure, because everything was mixed up with fear and hatred. Their embrace had been a battle, the climax a victory. It was a blow struck against the Party. It was a political act.” (Orwell,126). The Party restricts citizens from doing things as simple as feeling emotions. Nevertheless, Julia and Winston often perform actions considered illegal by the Party. Relationships are intolerable in Oceania; even family bonds do not exist. Even so, Winston and Julia sustain their relationship. Winston understands their love as an act against the Party. Since bonds and emotions are
During this week, all Oceania citizens come together and rally against the enemies of "justice." The dystopian element is very obvious in 1984, as it portrays a totalitarian leader and a brainwashed population. It shows that the government is not concerned with the psychological effects that this kind of society can have on people. It shows how a government may go to great lengths to ensure that people follow a new way of life.
The novel 1984 is yet another masterpiece written by author George Orwell, and indeed it is written with a direct purpose in mind. The novel is written in such a way that it exposes and dispels the hypnotic allure of the rising Socialist movement that manifested itself following the Second World War. Although Socialism ideologically appears to be for the general benefit and wellbeing of the people, Orwell incongruently observes that a significant portion of Socialist leaders seize complete control of the government via intellectual manipulation and emotional repression. In this staunch reprise of Totalitarian government and its contemporaries, Orwell focuses on creating a setting that will