Totalitarianism In 1984 By 1984, By George Orwell

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1984 takes place in a totalitarian society where the government is an overbearing presence in the lives of civilians. George Orwell gives readers a perspective of what it would be like if a free country, like England, were to fall under totalitarian rule. England has fallen under the rule of “the Party” lead by a character they all call “Big Brother” (Orwell 2). In this world, people no longer have any natural rights. Cameras and microphones are everywhere and “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” (Orwell 2). People in this society have no time to think their own thoughts since the telescreen is always on and it is always filling their minds with propaganda. They only see and hear the things the Party wants them to. History books have been rewritten …show more content…

One day, a girl bumps into Winston and passes him a note that says, “I LOVE YOU” (Orwell 108). Winston is caught completely off guard. Love for another person is not an emotion that exist in Winston’s world. He knows it is dangerous, he knows that it might be a trap. But Winston’s newly found rebellious streak allows him proceed to have a love affair with Julia. They could not voice their affair in public or private since they could easily be overheard by the Thought Police so the couple rendezvous at a park where there is no cameras or microphones to spy on them. He has found a fellow rebel in Julia. It is not that he loves her but, rather “Anything that hinted at corruption always filled him with a wild hope” (Orwell 122). Winston is caught up with the urge to become more corrupt. In any way that he could, Winston wants to stick it to the man: “No emotion was pure, because everything was mixed up with fear and hatred. Their embrace had been a battle, the climax a victory. It was a blow struck against the Party. It was a political act” (Orwell 126). Winston only had the affair with Julia because it was another way for him to rebel. There is fear mixes in with his complex feelings for Julia. Winston’s act of rebellion is escalating. At first it was simply buying a diary to secretly voice his opinions. Now it is an affair with Julia. He has let another person into his life that shares his feelings for the Party. In this stage of his life, Winston no longer feels crazy, “But after reading it he knew better than before that he was not mad. Being in a minority, even a minority of one, did not make you mad. There was truth and there was untruth, and if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you were not mad” (Orwell 217). He knows the truth now. He knows that the Party has changed the past, and has been feeding civilians with lies and propaganda. The truth is right before his eyes, and he knows

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