Totalitarianism In 1984

“We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness.” In George Orwell’s 1984, the main character, Winston Smith, dreams of a man’s voice who offers Winston hope of a world free of evil war, and hunger. (enter cite). Ironically, later in the novel, Winston learns that such a place may actually be a place where no privacy exists. (same cite). 1984 depicts a world of totalitarianism. The novel also depicts a dark, oppressive, and foreboding world. Likewise, the works of Mexican artist David Alfaro Siqueiros depict a similar world. The decades of the 1930’s and 1940’s were a time of revolutionary political change, extreme poverty and of intense warfare and brutal massacres; the creative works of Orwell and Siqueiros use dark, oppressive, and

Orwell, an anti-communist socialist shows his readers the negatives of totalitarianism communism. Orwell creates a government, referred to as the party, with the leader, Big Brother, who used war and fear to torment their people into following the law and agreeing with their viewpoints. As he said “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” one could feel just how powerful the message was, and how the people of Oceania reacted to it. 1984 lacks individual happiness throughout the whole novel. Even as Winston finds happiness with Julia, Orwell still used dark tones, as the lovers both knew their relationship would soon be ended by the party. Orwell’s strong language throughout the novel helps to give the reader a sense of the power of the Party. There is a common mood in paintings by Siqueiros, but the mood is describing different governmental structures. Siqueiros illustrates the negatives of a capitalist government, as he shows the caste system in The Devil in the Church. By comparing the devil to the upper class, his beliefs cannot be missed. Looking deeper into the painting, the church is cracked and beaten up, showing the communist’s disapproval for religion in society. The people of the lower-class on their hands and knees surrendering to the upper and middle classes send the most powerful message in this painting. Siqueiros’s paintings were designed for a lower class audience, and his goal was to influence them and give hope. The powerful mood of Siqueiros’s paintings worked as he indeed spark a small string of revolts against the upper class in