“War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength” (Orwell 5). George Orwell's 1984 gives a frightening perspective on the extremes of a totalitarian society by giving wholeness to the character Winston Smith, a symbol of the oppressed, who has a tendency to resist the destruction of his individuality, which allows the reader to understand the enslavement created by Big Brother, the Party, and the Thought Police. Orwell distinguishes his ideas on what could happen under a totalitarian regime, through the actions of characters throughout the book. While portrayed as a simple man, Winston heightens the ideas of the importance of individualism and the effect of the extremes of a totalitarian government, within the novel 1984 by George …show more content…
Throughout the book, Winston is resistant to the destruction of his individuality. Winson is an Outer Party member, working in the Ministry of Truth, as a records editor. His work is to rewrite history to make it match with the current truth created by the party. Winston often questions the party; “I understand how: I do not understand why” (Orwell 80). He wants to understand how and why “the Party” exercises absolute power. Winston realizes that “the Party” is preventing people from having the freedom of the mind but he does not understand why they want or need that absolute power. As the novel progresses we see how much Winston hates “the Party”. In the process of realizing how much Winston hates the world he lives in, the we see the budding rebellious streak within Winston grow. By questioning Big Brother and the party, Winston is commiting a crime punishable by death, thoughtcrime. The government has banned any thought against the government. Stripping the citizens of their freedom of speech and their individualism. The questionable thoughts are the start of Winston’s diverge from Big Brother. Consumed by his thoughts, Winston takes to scrawling in his diary …show more content…
In the novel,Winston indulges in his sexual desires with a fellow Outer circle member, Julia. The affair alone is a rebellion against the party but the danger is amplified by their sexual acts. Julia plays on Winston's inner desire, that was mocked by the Youth movement. “Sex talks once a month for the over-sixteens. And in the Youth Movement. They rub it into you for years. I dare say it works in a lot of cases.”(Orwell). The totalitarian Party stripped civians of both love and intimacy. Through Winston's obvious fantasies and secret affairs we are able to see the humanity within. Even though it is punishable by death, the oppressed couple indulge themselves, releasing their sexual desires.“Desire is thoughtcrime in Oceania because it elevates the human, the individual, above the powers of the state to control him” ( ). This quote is true because the Party opposes sexual relation as it can lead to feeling, which can make it hard for them to control others. The decision Winston makes of fulfill his sexual desires strengthens the meaning of the work because it reveals how totalitarianism parties try to control every aspect of the lives of their citizens but will ultimately fail. The Party within 1984 reflects closely on the words of Hitler; “To conquer a nation, you must first disarm its citizens.” (Michaud).Totalitarian regimes is when a leader has complete control
The insidious manifestation and nature of the Party’s power culminates through their manipulation of all aspects of life. History becomes a palimpsest wherein anything can be altered so as to favor the doctrines of the party. Language is slowly becoming eradicated and “ It was intended that when Newspeak had been adopted once and for all and Oldspeak forgotten, a heretical thought should be literally unthinkable, at least so far as thought is dependent on words”. This illustrates that the party wishes to create orthodoxy wherein independent and singular thought which repudiate any vestiges of humanity and digress from the principles of the party are blatantly impossible. Winston is of the belief that
The main character in George Orwell’s 1948 novel, 1984, Winston Smith can be seen as many things. To some, he may be a hero, but to others he is a coward and a fool. Throughout the novel, Winston’s characteristics are explored, and readers are shown the reasoning behind Winston’s twisted mind. It is evident that although Winston thinks he had control over his own mind and body, this is an imagined factor. The world of 1984 is one of a totalitarian society, where no one can be trusted, and no one is safe, Winston being the primary example of one who trusted thoughtlessly.
Even though he is married, he and Julia have an affair that combines their personal desires as well as their desire to fight against the Party as it is explicitly stated in the novel. Winston and Julia both willingly participate in the affair because they are both moved to action by the Party’s acts of injustice. Winston is aware that the Party has blatantly outlawed “love” and Winston wants to feel romance in order to spite the Party. Both Julia and Winston would do anything to spite Big Brother. In addition to the love factor, Winston isn’t just participating because Julia is youthful, more so because he is drawn to the act of power. Winston isn’t just resisting power, he feels the need to hold
In the novel 1984, George Orwell relates the tension between outward conformity and inward questioning by allowing the reader to see inside of the mind of Winston Smith. Orwell uses Winston’s rebellious thoughts to counteract his actions in order to show the reader how a dystopian society can control the citizens. Although Winston is in an obvious state of disbelief in the society, his actions still oppose his thoughts because of his fear of the government. Winston’s outward conformity and inward questioning relate to the meaning of the novel by showing Winston’s fight to truth being ended by the dystopian society’s government.
<Interesting Intro> 1984 takes place in a society where the government controls everything and everyone, including ones thoughts. Some characters battle with the outward conformity, where they are supposed to act and think like a party member, and with the inward questioning that makes them rebel against the party. The author, George Orwell, witnessed totalitarian societies with his own eyes. Because of this, Orwell sends a message through the book by trying to show how totalitarian societies are bad. Orwell uses Winston as a symbol that shows how totalitarian societies are not beneficial to the people and can make them live double lives.
Winston who works deep in the government rewriting history and helping to further build the
The novel “1984” by George Orwell exemplifies the issues of a government with overwhelming control of the people. This government controls the reality of all of their citizens by rewriting the past, instilling fear, and through manipulation. This is an astounding story because of the realistic qualities that are present throughout the text about an extreme regulatory government and its effects. This society is overwhelming consumed with the constructed reality that was taught to them by Big Brother. George Orwell brings significant aspects to the novel like the complexity of relationships during a rebellion and The Party’s obsession with power. The main character Winston struggles throughout the story trying to stay human through literature, self-expression and his individuality. The party uses human’s tendencies, weaknesses, and strengths in order to dehumanize their citizens to gain control over them.
Throughout the novel, Winston is always hiding his thoughts about the Party and about Big Brother, although he is completely against it. However, in order to ensure that he does not get caught, he must act as though he loves them and agrees with their power over society. Surveillance is shaping these characters to be a perfect representation of what they are expected to be, instead of being who they are.
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
Additionally, the portrayal of this dystopian society controlled by a totalitarian government might have been understood well by contemporary audiences, mirroring the rules of totalitarian regimes such as Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy- the citizens have no influence on the government and have no freedom of choosing the rules that govern and control every part of their lives. Therefore, Winston blames the misery in his life totally and completely on the government and on Big Brother. In Winston’s case, we can see that the propaganda, deprivation, and strict rules fail to make him concur with the party and accept Big Brother- in this situation, the party has to use extreme force and torture to make Winston love the party as well as Big Brother, in order for the party to maintain complete power.
The Thought Police would get him just the same. He had committed…even if he had never set pen to paper” (Orwell 21). It is explained that the Thought Police does not require any evidence to prove one guilty of thoughtcrime as a mere expression would allow for punishment. Policing in Oceania is a prime example of how totalitarianism is a major role in how individualism is frown upon. This limit in self-expression stops people from being hopeful and Winston’s diary not only expresses his desire to be free, but also dehumanizes him as it limits him from speaking his mind. In addition to the lack of self-expression inducing diminished hope for individuality is the lack of personal freedom and consciousness.
Winston is tortured over a long period of time and it proves successful as he whole- heartedly accepts the party and Big Brother.
The novel 1984, by George Orwell, shows the world through a totalitarian government. The main protagonist, Winston Smith, is a party member who works to cover up the Big Brothers propaganda. However, he begins to write in a journal of his hatred for the society he exists in. This is considered an act of treason and is punishable by death for committing a “thought crime.” Winston is aware that he is being watched every day, everywhere, and anywhere. Despite this fact, Winston and a woman named, Julia, both defy Big Brother and begin an affair. This is the world where everyone is against everyone, and those who break the rules are punished severely for their crimes. Big Brother wishes to gain total control of the population by banning or prohibiting
Tired of feeling the way he is, with the monotonous struggle of everyday life Winston decides to oppose the party in more real ways; and begins to deviate from certain set behaviors to free himself from this bondage of the party. “To the future or to the past, to a time when thought is free, when men are different from one another and do not live alone-to a time when truth exists and what is done cannot be undone”(25-26). He has realized what the government does to people; how everyone is made to be the same, where no one is allowed to think on their own. The party is omnipotent in all affairs and he will not go along with it anymore. Winston has made up his mind; he is going to do everything he can to bring down the party. He and Julia go to O’Brien’s apartment one afternoon, and Winston’s true hatred is revealed. “We believe that there is some kind of conspiracy, some kind of secret organization working against the Party,
The novel 1984 is a futuristic totalitarian society where everyone is kept under close surveillance and is forced to follow all rules and laws of the state. The novel 1984 was written by George Orwell and published in 1950. The main characters were Big Brother, Winston Smith, Julia, O’Brien, Syme and Emmanuel Goldstein. Winston Smith is a low man on the totem pole when it came to the ruling Party in London, Oceania. His every move is watched by the Party through devices called telescreens. Posted everywhere around the city is the face of their leader, “Big Brother” informing them that he is always watching. He works in the “Ministry of Truth” which is ironic seeing that they alter history to fit the liking of the Party. As this book continues Winston challenged the laws and skirts around the fact that he is always being watched. His shocking and rebellious act is “falling in love.” Throughout this novel George Orwell utilizes symbolism to further enhance the totalitarian features of the society. In many ways these symbols represent the things that this society hasn’t experienced and doesn’t understand.