Abuse Of Power In 1984

Founding Father, James Madison once noted that “Liberty may be endangered by the abuse of liberty, but also by the abuse of power.” Madison meant that liberty can actually grant those bestowed with its gift the ability to destroy it, whether by ignorantly entrusting our rights to the hands of a cruel oppressor, or by taking liberty to extreme and destroying it for all else. In the case of 1984, the masses allowed totalitarianism to absorb the world and because of this, forever the world would exist under its reign. The main character of 1984, Winston Smith, lives in Oceania, one of the three power-hungry superstates of the world where uniqueness and independent thoughts are punishable by torture and where Big Brother always watches and refines

history to reflect himself in the best possible light. Winston questions the credibility of Big Brother and ponders the idea of living freely outside of the watchful eyes of the Stalin-esque figure.

He abides as the sole man who dreams of freedom while the masses have willingly sold their liberties for “happiness” and “security” and for this reason, any rebellion against the Party is doomed to fail. Smith, forcibly taught to accept the Party rules and ideals, actually came to love Big Brother. By doing so, Winston committed suicide, not physically, but to everything that made him human internally. Through 1984, Orwell warned all of mankind to become aware of the possibility of assaults on liberty and personal freedoms, and to think before ceding these precious rights over to a higher power, as we come to realize by Orwell’s demonstration with the outcome of Winston and Julia’s relationship, Winston’s “false” memories, and the victorious outcome of the African

war.
Under the spreading chestnut tree, Winston sold Julia and Julia sold he, to which Orwell comments on the idea that emotions and love keep us human, and succumbing these to anyone will lead to the death of one’s self and the spirit that makes them unique. Winston and Julia’s relationship renounced the Party and the act gave them a will to live and a haven to display their true selves, instead of acting as overalled, orthodox Party members. The distinction that made them unique characters quickly washed away as the Party forced itself inside of both Winston and Julia (something they swore would never happen) and forced them into betraying each other. Accepting, or rather forcibly accepting, the Party’s orthodoxy for Winston was as deadly as taking a bullet to the head: his individuality, his human qualities, and the rebellious spirit that made us hope that somehow Winston could rise up against the Party and that the future was not destined to the image of “a boot stamping on the human face forever”. Orwell comments that a world where human emotion is punishable will be a world of human shells - alive on the outside, but hollow within, because in humanness we find hope, and in humanness our liberties will remain intact.
With the denying of Winston’s self and his happy memories, Orwell comments that with the sacrifice of personal liberties, anything beautiful or happy will become stripped from memory and called false, forcing one to become unable to trust themselves and instead forced to trust in a higher power blindly. Winston’s memory of his family happily playing Snakes and Ladders, no matter how vivid it may have seemed, became a false memory that he could not cherish nor trust because of how the Party stripped him of his identity. In such as place where even one’s own basic, happy memories cannot be trusted, hope lies nowhere. Not in the past with memories of a better time, for they do not exist; nor not in the present or future for Winston’s life was owned by the Party and the memories it chose to create and destroy. Through this memory quickly written off as false, Orwell desired for us to realize that each individual has power to remain distinct and has to power to resist attacks on liberties through memories, love, and identity. With the acceptance of truth as fiction, Winston, and any hope for humanity, died and the Party survived. Winston did not die physically but internally his spirit and soul and everything that made him human died with his acceptance. Orwell asks us to stand up to what we know rings truth when told otherwise and to hold onto every shred of independent thought we possess, for in these stands the power to resist attacks becomes stronger.
From the victorious outcome of the African war, we come to realize that Orwell strongly warned against allowing totalitarianism to become established, for once such power becomes established, through its cunning, trickery, and incomplete disclosure, its reign will not crumble.

At the end of the novel, all of Oceania sits on edge of their seats waiting to hear the outcome of a battle that could tear Oceania in half. However, the reader might question whether the war truly occurs and whether the outcome would be reported truthfully. The Party monitors everything to keep feelings of nationalism well instilled in its citizens, and for them to go as far as creating a battle which the future of Oceania depends on and allowing them to win victoriously to instill a pride for the country would not cause surprise. Winston once questioned the Party’s true intentions as well, but because of its cunning, the Party outsmarted Winston and remain on top. Orwell’s message to us through this demonstration is to ask ourselves to question in whom we put our trust for ruling, especially when it comes to totalitarianism. For, when we place our trust in someone to lead us, it must be in someone who ensures personal liberties, instead of stripping them away for more

power.
In Oceania and the world beyond, no hope remains for its citizens to gain back the liberties they have sacrificed, but Orwell’s message does not seal our fate to such a life. Through the ending of 1984, Orwell implores us to hold on to our personal liberties: our emotions, our memories, our humanness, and our ability to process. He acknowledges the treachery of allowing totalitarianism to establish and destroy these liberties. Unless we watch for abuse on our liberties and counteract any attacks against them, we will become shells existing, not living, under the rule of power-hungry dictators infinitely. For if we ever end up where such a rule becomes immortal and human spirit is bruised and bloodied by a higher force, then we too will have no hope for our liberties and the gifts the bestow.