1984 Pain Lies Essay

Where Pain Lies

“In the face of pain, there are no heroes” (Orwell). From the start of his life, George Orwell knew pain. Aspects as simple as the limited time with his father as a child, to being nearly killed in war, are facets of pain that Orwell faced. In Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, protagonist Winston Smith exists in the uniform community of Oceania, where freedom is limited, if not completely unattainable to its citizens. Because freedom of speech does not exist, since rights are so limited, neither do the general human rights. Likewise to an incident in Orwell’s life where he encountered pain, Winston has a confrontation with pain while being punished by his government for his covert behavior. Ultimate pain is felt when one suffering, and in an abject situation. By presenting Winston as an individual who has the ability to speak but is quieted

by society, Orwell displays how being injured in the place of where voice comes from can restrain one from expressing their beliefs.
When people do not feel heard, it may make them want to rebel. When one feels alone, one doesn’t feel confident to speak out, and Orwell was a lonely person for much of his life. Orwell never had a strong bond with his father, yet when the time came to responsibly carry himself, Orwell repeated the same steps as his father did (Meyers). He didn’t get to see his father much at any time in his life, so it’s as though he wanted to know his father by being like him. While in combat, Orwell was shot in the throat by the enemy and he was left wounded with only the ability to rest and recover from the incident until healthy again (Meyers). Orwell’s voice was able to be heard because freedom of speech exists for him, however, in Winston’s world, his voice was silenced. Fear not only contributes to the silence that surrounds those who cannot speak, but adds to the pain that is later felt. Orwell suffered both physical and emotional pain from serving his country. Orwell did not like going to the boarding school he had to attend, and behaved disobediently because his life wasn’t ideal (“George Orwell”). From the beginning of his life, Orwell was silenced when he tried to speak.. Rather than speaking, Winston writes in his journal. He states, “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” (19; 1.1). Not only did the people and the circumstances of his life silence him, but his own body also refused to let him thrive. Living with chronic pain puts a damper on one’s outlook on life. In 1938, a completely treatable illness known as tuberculosis settled into Orwell’s system. However, the issue did not stop here, nor did his illness become elementary. His disease later returned to affect his health in greater ways and it first began with cavities forming in his chest due to previously suffering from tuberculosis ("Study: George Orwell's”). Orwell stayed in a hospital to recover to full health so that his illness would not once again go awry. The experiences that Orwell encountered during his hospital visits show several similarities to those of Winston when held captive. Because the higher power known as Big Brother determines the transgressions against offenders, they are dealt with in the Ministry of Love. Due to not speaking freely in his daily life, being tortured in the Ministry of Love is the one occasion where Winston’s true emotions may be expressed. Whether Winston tells the truth, speaks of his inner thoughts, or continue to encourage Big Brother’s lie, there is no discernment because pain is inevitable to be his ending result.
Fear and pain have a strong connection with each other; fear and pain also function to silence one’s voice.

For one to be afraid of something, the instant reasoning is because said individual does not want to endure pain. To avoid pain, scared individuals tend to either face their fear, or in a more likely situation, avoid to making any connection to the fear itself. While in the Ministry of Love, Winston is presented with rats, which are his biggest fear. The antagonist who tortures Winston in Nineteen Eighty-Four is named O’Brien. O’brien is portrayed as an unscrupulous demagogue, who later brainwashes Winston on Big Brother’s behalf. Without the intent of harm, O’Brien proceeds with doing his job, because he is among the belief that all men should abide to Big Brother’s creations and standards. By introducing O’Brien as a powerful figure, Orwell analyzes how social ranking can have such a significant impact on placement in society. Since Winston is exposed to circumstances such as these, Winston becomes a hollow shell of himself, and he is unable to behave in the same way as before, because of all the

pain.
Pain is something that everyone experiences, but Orwell had a significant connection with pain -- psychologically. He was in pain and did not feel heard. In his novel, his characters are also in pain and do not feel heard. When people experience a traumatic event in their life, they are more malleable when it comes to expression. George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four warns of the dangers of a totalitarian government, and also of how such governments can impact the very being of one’s existence by wielding power, fear, and especially pain.