Set in a dystopian society where deceit is common amongst the population, George Orwell's 1984 is an investigation of the concept of truth. Since its publication in 1949, the novel has been consistently referenced to throughout history in response to dictating leaders and power-thirsty politicians. Its popularity is a result of readers identifying themselves with the main protagonist, Winston Smith and his rebellion against the totalitarian government. The Party's recreation of reality, Winston's struggle with authenticity and his eventual submission to the Party's ideology contributes to the novel's exploration of truth. The dictatorial society of Oceania within 1984 brings to question the plausibility of objective truth and whether through …show more content…
the ongoing manipulation of history if objectivity is possible at all.
Responsible for the rectification of history, the Records Department initiates the doubt of the concept of objectivity. The employees are to participate in doublethink; to believe in multiple contradictory statements at once. In response to his work, the protagonist exclaims, “I understand HOW: I do not understand WHY”. This display of confusion represents Winston's, along with the other employees' failure to understand the Party’s need for the falsification of records. Their strict control over the past enables them to dictate what is considered as truth; shaping it into whatever suits their doctrine. Nevertheless, the alteration of history contributes towards placing a doubtful light on objectivity; although perhaps the objective truth is, in fact, a collection of subjective truths. Orwell expressed Winston’s change in the statement, “It was like swimming against a current … then deciding to turn round …show more content…
with the current instead of opposing it.” “Swimming against a current” describes Winston’s subjective thoughts which oppose the supposed objective truth. However, his decision to abandon subjectivity for the objective truth is when he “decides to turn round". In this case, the exploitation of the objective truth, pain, is utilised against individuals who choose to defy Big Brother in order to manipulate their subjectivity towards the Party’s doctrine. Hence, the manipulation of the objective truth influences subjective truth and is demonstrated through Winston’s decision to conform to the Party’s beliefs following his torture. Winston’s internal conflict is the key to acknowledging the place and importance of subjective and objective truth in a world where power controls objective truth. Winston’s struggle for objectivity is first illustrated following the chocolate ration decrease through the thought, “was it possible that they could swallow that, after only twenty-four hours? Yes, they swallowed it…Was he, then, ALONE in the possession of a memory?” The scene is representative of how the presence of subjectivity can induce cognitive dissonance, mental discomfort due to holding contradictory beliefs. In order to eradicate this uneasiness, civilians partake in the alteration of their subjective truths along with actively supporting the Party. Therefore, the role of the protagonist is to aid in understanding the bridge between subjectivity and objectivity through the portrayal of their attitudes and behaviour. Although, through the possession of power, the Party may be able to control the link between objective and subjective truth in order to influence subjectivity. Rather than subjectivity, objective truth is often looked upon for answers since it is constantly reinforced that objectivity is factual. Taking into consideration that objective truth is controlled by power and subjective truth is easily formulated; the unstableness of both concepts means that they can both be certainly swayed. The authority that the government has over the population's perception of the past and present enables them to easily influence both objectivity and subjectivity. The idea is evident in the Party slogan which reinforces the idea, ‘who controls the past, controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.’ Without a doubt, those in possession of power can manipulate anything, including subjective thought; therefore, the line which separates an individual’s objectivity and subjectivity can be blurred through careful manipulation. Winston’s failed rebellion is a representation of the result of an individual’s manipulated subjectivity through extreme force.
The Party’s exploitation of subjective truth, that being Winston’s fear of rats, in Room 101 acted as the catalyst which coaxed him towards the end of his rebellion. He abandoned the only uncontrolled aspect of his life; his relationship and bond to Julia. His betrayal is signified through the pleas, "Do it to Julia! Not me! Julia! I don't care what you do to her. Tear her face off, strip her to the bones. Julia! Not me!" The situation is an exploration into his last moments of personal subjectivity; his desperation is prevalent before the eventual submission to The Party. This example of a failed rebellion, presents the consequences of torture coupled with a weak mentality and the extent the party go to in order to reinforce their ideology. Although on the other hand, perhaps the separation between Winston and Julia also contributed towards the failure of his rebellion as her presence may have been able to encourage him. Through the exploitation of pain and fear, the Party is able to disrupt the bonds between people as a means to keep their doctrine alive. The government targets and tortures people separately to ultimately remove any trace of their desire for rebellion. In the following statement Julia expresses the harsh truths of what the Party was able to drive them to, despite their established relationship prior to their arrest. Julia
expresses to Winston following their release, “they threaten you with something you can’t stand up to…You think there’s no other way of saving yourself, you’re quite ready to save yourself that way. You WANT it to happen to the other person. You don’t give a damn what they suffer. All you care about is yourself.” All in all, the Party has a methodical approach towards rebellion as to influence the population’s beliefs as a whole yet they destroy their spirits individually in Room 101.
Arnold Mendoza Mrs.Leite H English 10-4 April 17, 2016. Dialectical Journal: 1984 by George Orwell. Entry 1: Book 1, Chapter 1; 5-20 Summary. The book is set in Airstrip One (current day London), Oceania, dated 1984. The main protagonist, Winston Smith, is introduced as a middle aged worker in the Records Department at the Ministry of Truth.
Paradoxes are an important part of George Orwell’s 1984 because the story revolves a lot around The Party and The Party uses three slogans which are paradoxes. Although the Party’s paradoxes are a main part of the story one can believe that Katherine’s paradox is more important than The Party and it shouldn’t be overlooked. Katherine’s paradox is with her husband because they’re basically forced to be married because of The Party. One can believe this is a more important paradox than The Party’s slogans because it shows an actual relationship that isn’t following The Party’s specific rules and The Party’s slogans are for the common people so it’s not as specific as Katherine and Winston’s relationship.
George Orwell once wrote, “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” In Orwell’s 1984, he establishes a government centered on universal deceit to expose the impact of such controls on the citizens, specifically, the revolutionary, Winston. Winston Smith is introduced as a worker of the Ministry of Truth, where he, as well as many others, work to alter or destroy any pictures, pieces of written work, art work etc. that may cause citizens to question the power or truthfulness of their government. Although Smith performs proficiently at his job and complies with the rules of this society, he, unlike most others, sees the lies and manipulation imposed on the citizens of Oceania by Big Brother and attempts to deceive
The book, 1984 by George Orwell, is about the external conflict between Winston Smith and Big Brother; and the internal conflict between the two ideas, democracy and totalitarianism. Orwell wrote the novel to show society what it could become if things kept getting worse: he sensed of the expansion of communism when he wrote the novel. The conflict between democracy and totalitarianism at the year of 1945 created two characters, Winston Smith and Big Brother, in orwell's mind. Big Brother is the embodiment of all the ideals of the totalitarian party. In contrast to Big Brother, Winston Smith keeps the idea of democracy emphasizes freedom, he has to hide his own thought because the Big Brother's party will punish him by death if the party finds it out. George orwell criticizes of Big Brother's society by describing it as a dark and a gloomy place. It warns that people might believe that everyone must become slaves to the government in order to have an orderly society, but at the expense of the freedom of the people.
Authors often use their works as a way to express their own opinions and ideologies. However, it is the skill of the author that determines whether these ideas are combined with the plot seamlessly, making a creative transition of ideas from the author’s mind, to the reader’s. There is no doubt that George Orwell is a masterful writer, and one of his most popular works, 1984, clearly expresses his negative views of the Totalitarian government. A common theme in the dystopian society in 1984 is betrayal: The Party is very intolerant towards any form of disloyalty, and anyone who plots against them or Big Brother will eventually either betray their own mind and accept Big Brother as their leader, or be betrayed and revealed to The Party by one of their so-called comrades. Overall, Orwell is using this constant theme of betrayal to show how alone and alienated the protagonist (Winston Smith) is in his quest against Totalitarianism, thus showing how flawed and hopeless the political system is.
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."
Dystopian novels are written to reflect the fears a population has about its government, and they are successful because they capture that fright and display what can happen if it is ignored. George Orwell wrote 1984 with this fear of government in mind and used it to portray his opinion of the current government discretely. Along with fear, dystopian novels have many other elements that make them characteristic of their genre. The dystopian society in Orwell’s novel became an achievement because he utilized a large devastated city, a shattered family system, life in fear, a theme of oppression, and a lone hero. Orwell’s novel begins with a horrid description of the living conditions of his main character, Winston.
Many parallels in 1984’s reality and actual reality exist. Orwell’s use of diction, syntax, and narrative struggles show Winston’s struggle of freeing himself from Big Brother’s power, his sexual engagement with Julia suggests his struggle from the Party, and the torture he endured fairs his strife from O’Brien.
Julia is a prime example as to how she is denied her own femininity. As a more experienced political rebel than Winston, Julia longs to express how she feels as a woman. On one outing in which she hides away with Winston, unsuspecting of the fact that they were being secretly monitored, she spritzes herself with perfume and applies makeup. There is a lack of skill, clearly evident by her face, which further emphasizes that for most of her life, she was denied having such things that are traditionally viewed to be ways that women express themselves. The censorship of her femininity shows the bondage of those being oppressed by the Party. Despite the fact that Julia claims she will do her best to find a real dress in order to become a true woman, she never receives the chance. She is captured by the Thought Police along with Winston before she is able to do
In this current age, people are given many freedoms and options from where they want to work, to the clothing they can wear. However, with the rapid advancements in technology, privacy is becoming more and more scarce and of concern as many companies track the searching data of users of the internet. In the same way, this is very much one of the ideas that 1984, a dystopian novel written by George Orwell wanted to address. Within the dystopian, totalitarianistic society featured in the novel, critical thought and the individual identities of citizens are suppressed through the alteration of history, lack of nutrition provided to the citizens of the society, and limitations placed on the family unit. Consequently, this quest for total power
In 1984, The government controls the citizens of Oceania by the use of telescreens and by revising the past. The protagonist, Winston Smith, says, “And if all the others accepted the lie which the Party imposed - if all records told the same tale - then the lie passed into history and became the truth.
Such sentiments alarm the audience of the government’s ability exert such extreme measure over the people, and eliminating language as a form of expression. The punishment for thoughtcrime, the reprimand for thoughts about rebellion, invaded the sovereignty of privacy to stamp out dissent at the source. Citizens had to live in “the assumption that every sound...was overheard” and “every movement scrutinized” (3). The concept of entering into one’s mind terrifies the audience as unspoken basic rights now seem a privilege. Through controlling individuals in talk and thought, the government diminishes all forms of individuality to prevent rebellion. By exploring Winston’s enjoyment for his occupation of altering the data of past events, Orwell reveals the enormity of the faux portrayal of improvement rather than the actual account of events to the, leading to and subjugation of people through government control of all elements of history. Winston’s “greatest pleasure in life was in his work,” (43) changing previous publications to match the situation at
1984 by George Orwell is a novel that takes place in a dystopian society from which the main character, Winston Smith, attempts to break free from. Winston undergoes a significant change of character throughout the novel. In the beginning, the author portrays Winston as a character that is courageous, intelligent, and has the initiative to do his part to change the ways of Oceana’s society, with the government controlling the people and exhibiting dominance over all aspects of their lives. Winston attempts to challenge the ways of the Party by completing various acts that instill a sense of individuality and self-awareness in himself. The most important events in this story are when Winston buys a journal,
Julia is a beautiful woman with dark hair, a face full of freckles, and she moves with athletic grace. Nevertheless, Winston does not only betray the Party, but his inner feelings about Julia. In the story, Winston at first does not like Julia due to the way she carries herself. Whereas, later in this novel, Winston meets her in the hallway and she falls giving him a note that says, “I love you” (Orwell 14). While, Winston and Julia are together and in love this betrays their government and their role in society. Additionally, Winston and Julia rebel against the Party, but with completely different motives, reasoning, and inspiration. Winston’s rebellious nature and betrayal is due to the hope that one day the Party will no longer have control over Oceania. To emphasize, Julia rebels and betrays the Party because she just feels like rebelling against the party and Julia’s betrayal and rebellion consist of her committing any act of disobedience. Also, While these two keep meeting up O’Brien (One of Winston's Co-Workers) Invites them over. “Without any warning except a slight movement of O'Brien's hand, a wave of pain flooded his body. It was a frightening pain, because he could not see what was happening, and he had the feeling that some mortal injury was being done to him. He did not know whether the thing was really happening, or whether the effect was electrically produced; but his body was being wrenched out of shape, the joints were being slowly torn apart” (Orwell 43). O’Brien did not want Julia and Winston’s company, he actually invited them to his house so they would be captured by the Thought Police. Nevertheless, this love stories betrayal continues because after they get caught by the Thought Police Julia and Winston are sent to Room 101. Essentially, Winston and Julia are left without any recollection of their relationship because the thought police brainwashed
...he views of the Party. "Do it to Julia! Do it to Julia! Not me! Julia! I don't care what you do to her. Tear her face off, strip her to the bones. Not me! Julia! Not me!" (Part 3, Chapter 5). Winston’s mind is considered cured the moment that he turns on the one person her truly loves.