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An Analysis of the Theme of Isolation in George Orwell's Novel 1984
An Analysis of the Theme of Isolation in George Orwell's Novel 1984
An Analysis of the Theme of Isolation in George Orwell's Novel 1984
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The word emotion is recognized in today’s society as a natural, instinctive state of mind deriving from one's circumstances, mood, or relationships with others. With this perception in mind, one can hypothesize that living in unsustainable, corrupted conditions can be the result of man feeling desensitized and unattached from society. Likewise, if a man were to live in a utopia, his emotions would reflect that of happiness, contention, and a sense of belonging. Winston, the main character in Orwell’s 1984 is a prime example of what control and isolation can do to the human mind. Him, as well as the masses of Oceania share monotony in not feeling raw emotion; their mental states of being are controlled and altered by a totalitarian, power driven …show more content…
In Winston’s case, the strange society in which he lives in stunts any such progression. The addition of things like telescreens, Thought Police, Two Minutes Hate, memory holes, children spies, doublethink, Newspeak, and the Anti-Junior Sex League limits his growth and drives him to rebellion (Reilly 89). Sex is a prominent example of his insubordination in the book and is applied to the plot in an attempt to explore the nature of Winston and of man. Dreams of Julia undressing testify to this notion. “With it’s grace and carelessness it seemed to annihilate a whole culture, a whole system of thought, as though Big Brother and the Party and the Thought Police could all be swept into nothingness…” (Orwell 31). The mention of Winston dreaming of such desires was vital for Orwell to include. He not only does this to move the plot along, but to also prove a point; no matter what, natural instincts and the behaviors of man can not be changed or altered. Likewise, if an author chooses to place their character in a hopeless situation, that character will find difficulty in developing and …show more content…
Through months of torture and debilitating pressure, he was stripped of his individualism and was taught to love big brother (McLaughlin). The pressures of society mixed with the strenuous hours of daily torture took a toll on his weakened brain. This was most evident when O’Brien asked him one last time if he loved Big Brother, and he answered yes. He did not say yes in order to end the torture, rather he said yes because his brain was rendered incapable of independent thought. Orwell does this to show his readers that self expression and independent thought are what ultimately make us human. Without those two things, we are left to live in an impressionistic society, one that urges us to like and believe in certain things- similar to that of Oceania. O’Brien torturing Winston was more than just the climax of the book; it was the solution to Orwell’s underlying question: Can the traits that make us human prevail in the face of turmoil and despair? "You had to live—did live, from habit that became instinct—in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every moment scrutinized” (Orwell 3).The fact that this statement made in the beginning holds true by the end of the novel answers the question that no; humanity would not
“He has finally learned to love big brother” was how George Orwell in his novel 1984 described Winston, conversion to the party are represented by big brother at the end of the novel. It is easy to believe that at this instance, after torturous reeducation that Winston has endured, he has lost free will and no longer be able to freely choose to love big brother but was forced to, against hiss will. Therefore Winston was never free to love big brother, and in fact not free at all after his “reeducation.” But if we are to accept a definition of free will that stipulates that we are able to produce and act on our own volitions we must accept that Winston has retained and has chosen to love big brother out of his own free will.
In the novel 1984, the author George Orwell used Winston's dream about the dark haired girl to demonstrate Winston's confined sexual desire and freedom. First of all, Winston realizes his anger when he ¨wanted to go to bed with¨ the dark haired girl, yet she expresses her sexlessness. The dark haired girl wears, ¨round her sweep supple waist¨, ¨the odious scarlet sash, aggressive symbol of chastity¨(pg 18). Chastity means the refrainment from all sexual intersourse, which Winstons already knows. Though Winston carries a strong desire, he cannot go to bed with the dark haired girl because the government tries to control all of the sexual desire in each individual. The inner party pairs up couples to birth kids. Their sexual life remains purely
Throughout history, it is obvious that our actions will affect the future, however in this horrible society that Winston lives in, his job is to erase the past. People argue that high school students should not read a book if it contains any sexual themes. Orwell mentions a lot of things that are related to sex, along with describing very explicit detail on how Winston feels about Julia sexually, “Her body was white and smooth, but it aroused no desire in him, indeed he barely looked at it. “ (Orwell pg.
From the beginning of the novel, it was inevitable that Big brother would eventually win, and Winston would be caught by the thought police. He could never have an immediate affect on the Party. His long and pointless struggle achieved no result in the end, and finally was brainwashed and lost any freedom of thought he once had.
Firstly, O’Brien, a member of the inner party, uses technology to accomplish complete control over the public through the means of telescreens, hidden microphones and torture machines, ‘Any sound that Winston made… could be picked up by [the telescreen]. [Winston] could be seen as well as heard’. This emphasises to the reader the extent of control that the party can exercise over the public, enabling them to eliminate any potential rebels. Furthermore, this loss of freedom and individuality exterminates any real friendship, family or love forcing the public to turn to Big Brother for companionship. This in turn minimises the chance of rebellion as everyone views Big Brother as a figure of comfort and security, ‘As he seemed to tower up, an invincible, fearless protector…’ O’Brien also uses a torture machine on Winston, ‘[He] had never loved [O’Brien] so deeply as at this moment’. This machine enables O’Brien to manipulate Winston’s views, personal opinions and even feelings. O’Brien is able to make Winston view the world as he wants him to, even to the extent of making Winston love him, his tormentor, the person inflicting the pain. ...
However, he secretly harbours resentment toward these policies due to his desire to retain his individuality and character. This is evident when he goes against the law by purchasing a diary and writing the statement, “Down with Big Brother”, the person leading his government. In many parts of the book, he uses his diary to express his views on the flaws of his government. This reinforces his desire to be independent and attempt to maintain his character. Thus, it allows him to stray away from his responsibility of being a lawful citizen. Another instance of him attempting to retain his character and individuality is when he engages in sex with Julia on numerous occasions in the grove and in the room rented from Mr. Charrington. In the general, sex is a powerful symbol which represents the essence and vigour of humanity. It is tied with individuality since it allows a human being to experience pleasure and the emotions an individual experience make them unique. Thus this allows Winston and Julia to be different from their comrades. Therefore, this allows average individuals to attempt to maintain their independence and their
Big Brother has won over the citizen in the quote because Big Brother doesn't want their citizens to love they want to to only love and follow Big Brother. Andras Szanto view on how realistic this situation is quite different from orwell's views on the situation. “ Szanto said ‘You act differently, and plan differently, out of hope and joy than out of fear and anxiety.’ ” (Szanto, “What Orwell Didn't Know About The Brain, The Mind, and Language.”). Szanto explains how your body reacts differently to the situation you are going through, he says Orwell didn't study the mind before he wrote the book and his view on how the mind work was wrong. The physical torture that Winston goes through is just enough to propel him over the edge, in a psychological way. What he endures is a type of physical mind control, they are controlling his mind by force and is seen rather than an expression like fear and doublethink. Physical Torture is related to how the Big Brother has utter control over the citizens of Oceania, when Winston is not true and loyal to Big Brother he is taken to the Ministry of Truth in order for Big Brother to obtain complete control. In a totalitarian government all they want is control and they want all the control. Physical torture is an aspect that is used within 1984 when a citizen's complete control is
Love is an emotion affecting people's everyday lives. In the book “1984,”, George Orwell introduces his readers to this idea, with a compelling portrayal of this important feeling. In Orwell’s totalitarian society of Oceania, the ruling party attempts to demolish all love for anyone except Big Brother who controls them. The affection that normally exists between individuals, in Oceania, warps to exist between individuals tortured and those torturing them. This is demonstrated by familial bonds and affection between siblings, wives, mothers, fathers and children, changing and creating an opportunity for the government to monitor its citizens. In contrast the interactions between the main character, Winston and his oppressor, O'Brien exhibit true love. Real connections between regular human beings in Oceania are virtually non existent due to actions taken by the government to destroy these bonds.
Throughout the novel 1984 Winston, the protagonist attempts to stay human despite living under a totalitarian regime. The novel 1984 by George Orwell depicts a regime that has 24/7 surveillance of its citizens and attempts to dehumanize the citizens to become better “party” members. Throughout the novel, Winston attempts to redeem his human characteristics that the party has stolen from him. The party is responsible for using human emotions and tendencies and uses those qualities in an attempt to “dehumanize” their population into members of the party. In the novel, the party uses human nature as a tactic in their political oppression. Winston’s love for Julia was the biggest weapon the party used against him. The party uses human nature for
Winston’s past shows why he acted like he did at the beginning of the book. One experience he had was with the photograph of the three Party leaders which taught him not to trust the Party, and it gave him physical proof that the Party was framing their own members. After this Winston became more rebellious against the Party. Another example was his wife, “She had not a thought in her head that was not a slogan” (66). This shows how she faithfully believed everything the Party had said. This bad experience with a woman changed his view of all women, at the start of the story he had a profound hate for them. He had thought them all to be like his wife, and that they all would have turned him in for thought crime. Julia had to expose herself to Winston for him to see that not all women were just faithful Party members, and his thought after that moment reflect it. For example he thinks more about his mom after this change. Another way Winston shows change is through his physical description. At the start of the book Winston has an irritated ulcer when he meets Julia he becomes healthier, and the ulcer went away. The reason for this may have been that he felt more of a will to survive during this time. After he was captured by the thought police his physical description changes again he was, “A bowed, gray-colored, skeletonlike thing” (271). This shows that the Party has
George Orwell creates a dark, depressing and pessimistic world where the government has full control over the masses in the novel 1984. The protagonist, Winston, is low-level Party member who has grown to resent the society that he lives in. Orwell portrays him as a individual that begins to lose his sanity due to the constrictions of society. There are only two possible outcomes, either he becomes more effectively assimilated or he brings about the change he desires. Winston starts a journey towards his own self-destruction. His first defiant act is the diary where he writes “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER.” But he goes further by having an affair with Julia, another party member, renting a room over Mr. Carrington’s antique shop where Winston conducts this affair with Julia, and by following O’Brien who claims to have connections with the Brotherhood, the anti-Party movement led my Emmanuel Goldstein. Winston and Julia are both eventually arrested by the Thought Police when Mr. Carrington turns out to be a undercover officer. They both eventually betray each other when O’Brien conducts torture upon them at the Ministry of Love. Orwell conveys the limitations of the individual when it comes to doing something monumental like overthrowing the established hierarchy which is seen through the futility of Winston Smith’s actions that end with his failure instead of the end of Big Brother. Winston’s goal of liberating himself turns out to be hopeless when the people he trusted end up betraying him and how he was arbitrarily manipulated. It can be perceived that Winston was in fact concerned more about his own sanity and physical well-being because he gives into Big Brother after he is tortured and becomes content to live in the society he hated so much. Winston witnesses the weakness within the prole community because of their inability to understand the Party’s workings but he himself embodies weakness by sabotaging himself by associating with all the wrong people and by simply falling into the arms of Big Brother. Orwell created a world where there is no use but to assimilate from Winston’s perspective making his struggle utterly hopeless.
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 manipulation and physical control are explored through Winston's journey, and with Winston's resistance and ultimate downfall, the reader is able to fully appreciate O'Briens reasoning, "Power is not a means, it is an end."
At the end of the novel, Orwell describes Winston as a cured patient who has over come his metal disease. “He had won the victory over himself: he loved Big Brother” (Part 3, Chapter 6). Both Freud and Orwell break down the components of a person’s mind in the same way. Orwell’s character, Winston, depicts the different parts of the human mind so described by Freud. In Orwell’s 1984, he uncovers the same components of a human mind as seen by Freud, the instinctual drive of the id, the perceptions and actions of the ego, and the censorship imposed by the morality of the superego.
"For every text a context" and only through referral to the non-literary world can we understand the motivation behind the literary. In a time of Nazism, Stalin and Civil War in Europe, Orwell's disillusionment towards politics and society rapidly increased and his ideas and criticisms were published in various essays regarding politics and literary traditions. When he became unwell towards the end of his life, he wrote 1984 as an expression of both his own views and as a parallel to Zamyatin's We, a novel concerned with Russian communism and portraying a very similar storyline. He "characterised the ordinary man as a victim." ; he viewed humanity as whole to be inside Jonah's whale, to "feel no impulse to alter or control the process that [they are] undergoing." This passivity of existence was the chief example from which he was able to draw the lack of individualism and the virtual extinction of it in his literary land of Oceania.
In 1984, Winston’s torture had a purpose of brainwashing, where the themes of control is explored and alienation is hinted and introduced in his interrogations with O’Brien and his time in room one-oh-one. Firstly, Winston is imprisoned in Miniluv (Ministry of Love) for his rebellious sexual activity with Julia, and the reader will assume that this is repression of opposition by the government. But once O’Brien is revealed to be Winston’s interrogator, it is clearly established that the purpose of this torture has never been repression, but rather controlling the thoughts of the few individuals that were “insane”(253) enough to rebel against government. O’Brien described this procedure as curing, as he also describes Winston as insane, and made it distinctively clear to Winston that his goal was not to punish or indulge “in the overact”(253) but rather the thought. While the goal is instead of destroying our enemies, “we change them.”(253) In this stern explanation from O’Brien, the...