1984 Conformity Essay

Conformity is shaped in a number of ways for a number of reasons. Utopian and dystopian societies, both display structures that promote different types of conformity. Within the community individuals and government is influenced. Establishing norms and laws lays out for the citizens what is expected of them. A society’s make-up consisting of the individuals and government is both positively and negatively affected by the formation of conformity.
Utopian and Dystopian societies can gain from ensuring that all individuals are conforming to the governments beliefs and standards. The government secures their hierarchy by brainwashing their citizens. They are able to indoctrinate by making the citizens reliant on them. In the novel 1984, citizens

do not even think for themselves, nor are they allowed too. Orwell (2015) claims that “In fact there will be no thought, as we understand it now. Orthodoxy means not thinking –not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness.” (53). If citizens are not allowed to think than they will not be able to make decisions for themselves which benefits the government. It allows the government to make all the decisions without complaint or uproar of any sorts.
Government has control over its citizens by having the power to conform them.

By doing this they gain the security to be more economical responsible. In the book Looking Backward, the utopian society uses a very efficient system. They set up a distribution system that estimates how much of a product each citizen needs. “Now that every pin which is given out from a national warehouse is recorded, of course the figures of consumption for any week, month, or year, in the possession of the department of distribution at the end of that period, are precise.” (88). This utopian society allows the government to know exactly what is being manufactured and shipped. This then gives the government enough resources to create specific data to prevent over consumption of

materials.
A crucial aspect of a dystopian society’s success is its ability to enforce and have their laws followed. Often times the majority of the citizens have never broken regulations or rules for fear of the punishment. Dystopian societies conform their citizens to behave by sending an example of what can happen if you try to break away from the standards. In Orwell’s 1984 dystopia citizens who refuse to conform are punished severely. “…prisoners, guilty of war crimes, were to be hanged in the Park that evening…This happened about once a month, and was a popular spectacle.” (Orwell 2015, 23). Government sets it up for humiliation towards the persecutor and a reward of entertainment to behaved citizens. It instills a fear inside the citizens to ensure they continue to conform to what their government wants.
Individuals who live in a dystopian and utopian society can sometimes benefit from social conformity. The government gives them a sense of making them feel protected. In Orwell’s (2015) society the Party makes the individuals safe from potential threats even if the threats are not real. “Since about that time, war had literally been continuous, though strictly speaking it had not always been the same war.” (33-34). Although the wars in this case may not have always been happening individuals are still able to conform to feeling protected since they belong to the Party. The individuals within this society conform to the idea that they will be secured and defend so as long as they conform to what the government believes to be best.
People within a society conform because they have a strong desire to feel and be accepted among others along with their superiors. They do not want to be an outcast nor do they want to be rejected by the majority. In the dystopian society of 1984, the strong need for acceptance is ingrained at a very young age. “‘You’re a traitor!’ yelled the boy. ‘You’re a though-criminal! You’re a Eurasian spy! I’ll shoot you, I’ll vaporize you, I’ll send you to the salt mines!’…they were both leaping around…the little girl imitating her brother in every moment.” (Orwell 2015, 23). This “harmless” game shows the strong desire of the children’s need to be accepted. They show what they consider to be rejected by society as an insult. Individuals do not want to feel like they are less-than so they will conform to the majority to secure their acceptance.
Individuals who are willing to obey what society expects of them have the reassurance of feeling invulnerable. In Bellamy’s utopia citizens are able to live a good life and have a safety net so as long as they follow the norms. These citizens get to retire at the young age of forty-five. “It is a strange reflection that at forty-five, when we are just entering upon the most enjoyable period of life… a time for the leisurely and unperturbed appreciation of the good things of the world which they have helped to create.” (Bellamy 1996, 96). This utopian society gives the citizens a safety net. They get the benefit of knowing that their work will be rewarded in the end. They will have nearly half their lives to enjoy the things they created. An individuals desire to comply to expectations can have good consequence which makes citizens want to continue to conform.
There can also be negative consequences for the government if they force too much conformity onto their citizens. If every citizen conforms to society and does not question the rules than there would be no change. The society would be stuck and there would be no growth. In 1984, the Party displays this by limiting vocabulary to its citizens. “‘…there will be no words which to express… Every concept that can ever be needed will be expressed by exactly one word, with its meaning rigidly defined and all its subsidiary meaning rubbed out and forgotten’” (Orwell 2015, 52). If the citizens are not even able to have a vocabulary, there is not possible room for growth. Growth is a crucial part of a societies ability to stay and maintain power and control.
Conformity can cause an unjust world. The Orwell’s dystopian society shows that not every society is based on what is best for the common good. The Party’s ideas are unjust to everyone except the inner party who make up the policies, decisions, and govern. This leads the inner party to give themselves unfair advantages over the others. They have the freedom to turn off their telescreens, live in comfortable homes, and have good food and drinks. (Orwell 2015, 168-169). It can be very harmful to completely conform to a society because it has the potential to lead to unfairness, prejudices, and hinder common wealth.
Individuals are greatly affected by conformity; in some cases, they are negatively affected.

Conformity creates a groupthink mentality among individuals. No one thinks for themselves, they do what is considered normal and acceptable. In the movie Pleasantville, Betty Parker transforms from being black and white to fully colored. By being fully in color she was different than the majority of the others. She wanted to hide this and did so by putting makeup to cover up her color. (Kilik et al. 2011). She feared not being accepted and did not want to endure backlash. She only embraced her color after she realized that change and uniqueness can be a good thing. Individuals stuck in a group think mentality causes them to be trapped with fear.
A missed opportunity for potential within the individual can greatly be affected by conformity. Individuals who conform have a much greater chance to miss out on possible strengths that they do not know they had. In the utopian society of Pleasantville, Mr. Johnson realizes what his true desires are after his refusal to conform. He takes on his love for art to a whole new level and talent. (Kilik et al. 2011). Mr. Johnson become a skillful painter and more importantly see his true potential. Individuals who choose to push beyond conformity have a strong will to do the

imaginable.
Societies that conform their citizens essentially make them give up individuality and potentially compromise their principals. This can cause citizens to feel outraged and lash out. In Pleasantville, citizens slowly transformed into people of color even though many were reluctant specifically the people in power. (Kilik et al. 2011). However, the utopian society learned that allowing its’ citizens to be different was actually a good thing. It led to growth and much more happiness for each individual.