Theme Of Loneliness In George Orwell's Dystopian Novel '

Throughout the world, failures seem to occur all around. Whether it be in the form of losing oneself or losing the people around the individual, many failures commonly occurs with the accumulation of power. In George Orwell’s dystopian novel, 1984, Winston Smith is a low-ranking government official under the oppressive reign of his leaders, Big Brother. He is just one example of the many characters in written works that will eventually be defeated in one way or another. In British literature, it has become evident that characters affected by tyrannies have ultimately experienced loneliness, paranoia, and defeat. A tyrant is defined as any person in a position of authority who exercises his or her power oppressively or despotically. To become a tyrant, the person must not only have an absolute need for power, but

Through his or her journey to power, however, may bring the leaders some unexpected and unwanted consequences. For example, loneliness has seemed to become a prevalent theme throughout literature. In John McDonald’s graphic novel version of the play, Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Macbeth’s quest for power left him with no support because of the way he was willing to treat the people closest to him along the way. He had no problem killing his leader, his best friend, and, although indirectly, his wife, which eventually led to him having no one left he could trust. Also, prior to Macbeth killing his leader and cousin, King Duncan, the reader gains a little insight as to how guilty and paranoid Macbeth really is. After a conversation with Lady Macbeth, Macbeth says, “Is this a dagger I see before me, the handle toward my hand? Come… let me grip you” (McDonald 2.1). Here, Macbeth shows weakness and allows his guilt to get the best of him. The reader can see that in this moment, he starts developing paranoia before he even commits murder. Derek Russell Davis agrees with this point when he says, “Unable to confide