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British Author George Orwell’s 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four tells the tale of a dystopian future in which a ruthless totalitarian regime. Having written the novel during a time when totalitarian regimes ruled Germany, Spain and the Soviet Union, Orwell paints a picture of governmental control at its most extreme. It touches upon a variety of themes, such as the dangers of a totalitarian society, ever-present threat of government surveillance, a world constantly at war, and the stark division between the privileged and the underclass.
The Party lords over the fictional state of Oceania (the Americas, Great Britain, Australia, and other territories). In the aftermath of World War III, the government exerts influence over all aspects of life. The government is represented through an omnipresent figure named Big Brother (his visage is displayed on posters virtually everywhere), who acts as an all-knowing representation of the party’s ideals. Behavior and thoughts are monitored by the party at virtually all times through spies, telescreens, and hidden microphones. The protagonist, Winston Smith, lives in London and serves as a records editor at the Ministry of Truth. While the Ministry of Truth creates propaganda, the Ministry of Peace handles war; the Ministry of Love monitors citizens and engages in torture; the Ministry of Plenty enforces never-ending shortages of essential goods. While Winston has the visage of a loyal subject, he secretly harbors hatred for the regime. He begins a journal to record his thoughts, despite the fact that the dire penalty for its discovery (he does so out of view of the telescreen). Those deemed to be enemies of the state are summarily executed or “disappeared” to imprisonment or forced labor, wit...

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...t of the children, who are indoctrinated to spy on everyone, including their own parents, from an early age. With the Atomic Wars occurring a few decades prior, it is conceivable that anyone with memory of the previous world would be gone within thirty years. With history being altered daily, it would seem that there is little to no hope for a change in world order.
Yet, the contrarian in me formulates the argument that the regime in Nineteen Eighty-Four cannot sustain itself in perpetuity. The Party is, in essence, trying to impose perfect order on a decidedly imperfect species. Its methods for ruling have proven effective. However, the Party, for all its machine-like efficiency, rules on principles of paranoia and suspicion – two of the most self-destructive emotions. The optimist in me says that the government will either collapse upon itself – or lose a war.