Totalitarianism And Fascism In 1984 By George Orwell

Orwell not only demonstrates the detrimental effects of capitalism on the oppressed, he also portrays the dictators as victims as well. Orwell chooses to write a novel that exposes how totalitarianism and fascism, in the post-collapse of capitalism, strips figures in power, specifically the oppressors, of their individuality and of hope. In “Notes and Nationalism,” Orwell discusses the issues that lie in having a totalitarian and fascist perspectives when leading, which highlights how the oppressors become corrupt. Overall, he argues that having this perspective leads to having “obsession, instability, and an indifference to reality” (Notes on Nationalism). The problem is that if one is obsessed with his or her nation, it leads to a sense of

In the novel, the characters are constantly having to monitor what they are saying out of fear committing an unintentional crime. The Party is able to hold absolute control over its members. The dictators lose themselves because they become so obsessed with what could happen. This is highlight through O’Brien and why he goes out of his way to torture Winston. The reason that it is not enough for O’Brien to kill Winston, is that sense of uneasiness from the fear of rebellion. He tortures to the point of madness, forcing him to conform rather than killing him in order to prevent any rebellious thoughts to escape and spread. Furthermore, Orwell illustrates that this leadership is not for the benefit of the people but rather it is for the dictators at the top. O’Brien confesses to Winston, “The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power . . . one does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes a revolution in order to safeguard a dictatorship (Orwell

That is to say, would they have a chance if Winston did not go to the antique shop (actually a trap laid by the Thought Police) or if he and Julia did not entrust themselves to O'Brien during their visit to O'Brien's flat? Might Winston and Julia conduct their sexual affair with impunity, as Julia says she has her earlier affairs? Apparently they might, which is why most if not all published criticism assumes that, at least initially, Winston and Julia have a chance of eluding arrest. But what, then, is the meaning of the mode of games that are predetermined, chanceless, and can only symbolize hopelessness?