Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Dystopian literature
1984 Theme Analysis Although 1984 has come and gone, George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984 is still very relevant in modern day life. 1984 explores a world in which a totalitarian government controls all from the news to even the language. Winston, the protagonist silently rebels against the government along with Julia, his love interest. They rebel by having sex for pleasure, writing, and attempting to join a conspiracy against the government called the brotherhood. At the end both Julia and Winston are captured and tortured so badly that are forced to go against everything they once believed. George Orwell’s 1984 encompasses a theme that people can be forced to give up their beliefs and alter their feelings if their survival is threatened. Orwell shows the reader that a bond so strong as love can be broken when a human feels their survival is threatened. After being badly tortured in the Ministry of Love, Julia and Winston finally meet again. However this time the two are not in love, instead they dislike each other. Julia tells Winston that she realized she cares more about her own survival than her love for someone else, …show more content…
O’Brien tries to crack Winston through physical pain time and time again but when he threatens to let Winston’s worst fear loose on him Winston cracks. Before O’Brien lets loose the rats Winston cries out that O’Brien do it to anyone but him to stop this torture. He wants to thinks that it is all a trick to get out of torture, but realizes that he truly means it. He thinks that at the time there is no other way of saving himself. This shows that right when someone truly fears for their life, one's survival instinct makes sure that by whatever means, even altering beliefs you survive. This is an embodiment of the theme Orwell creates throughout the book with Winston being forced to alter his beliefs just to stay
In the 2nd part of 1984 Winston is meets a girl named Julia. At first Winston believes Julia will turn him in for committing Thought Crime. Then Julia passes Winston a note and they meet each other. The Party also does not allow association that is not goverernd. This is the start of an affair between the two, because they are not married and free love is not allowed. Winston is rebelling fully by his association with Julia. The 2nd section Winston fully rebels, he joins an underground resistance, and he believes that his life is better because The Party is no longer controlling him. At the end of this section Winston learns that he has been set-up and followed by the Thought Police the whole time. He and Julia believed that they were resisting and rebelling but had actually been entrapped by the Thought Police.
Readers often find themselves constantly drawn back to the topic of George Orwell’s 1984 as it follows a dystopian community which is set in a world that has been in continuous war, has no privacy by means of surveillance and has complete mind control and is known by the name of Oceania. The story follows a man by the name of Winston who possesses the features of “A smallish, frail figure… his hair very fair, his face naturally sanguine [and] his skin roughened” (Orwell 2). The novel illustrates to readers what it would be like if under complete control of the government. As a result, this book poses a couple of motifs’, For instance part one tackles “Collectivism” which means the government controls you, while part two fights with “Romance” with Winston and Julia’s sexual tension as well the alteration of love in the community, and part three struggles with “Fear” and how it can control someone physically and mentally.
George Orwell has created two main characters that have conflicting traits: believe in the idea of love in a world where it is forbidden. Although both are secret rebels of the Party and share the same hatred for the Party’s totalitarian power, Julia and Winston display a remarkable number of differences between each other. The differences between them include their morality, their motivation towards the rebellion, and their personalities. Julia represents elements of humanity that Winston does not: survival, instincts, pure sexuality and cunning (1984 By George Orwell Character Analysis Julia). Her actions show the lack of an emotional connection to anyone, even Winston.
In the middle of the novel, O’Brien appears as the escape from Big Brother, providing both Winston and Julia with information pertaining to the Brotherhood. Unfortunately for these two lovers, it is all façade. O’Brien is merely trying to find out what their limits and breaking points are. After asking Winston and Julia a set of questions, O’Brien asks the ultimate question, “You are prepared, the two of you, to separate and never see one another again” (180), to which Julia replies, “No” (180). This exchange of words gives O’Brien the upper hand for later events. He now knows that the love shared between Winston and Julia is not solely an act of rebellion, but also that it is what will get the two characters to conform and accept Big Brother. This finally gives O’Brien the opportunity to change Winston; something that he has been willing to do for some time now. O’Brien states, “For seven years, I have watched over you. Now, the turning-point has come” (256). Prior to Winston’s relationship, O’Brien had nothing to hold over Winston if he was to get Winston to conform, and was waiting for the opportune moment to do so. However, he is now able to manipulate Winston’s love for Julia, and turn it towards love for Big Brother. He uses their love as leverage while torturing Winston. O’Brien also
The novel 1984 is one that has sparked much controversy over the last several decades. It harbors many key ideas that lie at the root of all skepticism towards the book. With the ideas of metaphysics, change, and control in mind, George Orwell wrote 1984 to provide an interesting story but also to express his ideas of where he believed the world was heading. His ideas were considered widely ahead of their time, and he was really able to drive home how bleak and colorless our society really is. Orwell wrote this piece as a futuristic, dystopian book which contained underlying tones of despair and deceit.
George Orwell’s haunting dystopian novel 1984 delves into the closely monitored lives of the citizens of Oceania as the Party tries to take control of society. In totalitarianism, propaganda and terrorism are ways of subjugation with a main goal: total obedience. He aimed to create a “what if” novel, what would happen if totalitarian regimes, such as the Nazis and Soviets, were to take over the world. If totalitarianism were to happen, the leader would be the brain of the whole system. Orwell emphasizes the theme of individualism versus collective identity through Winston, the protagonist, and his defiance to the Party and Big Brother, with a frightening tone, surreal imagery and a third person limited point of view.
1984 by George Orwell may seem like a run of the mill dystopian novel but the plethora of paradoxes and interwoven contradictions create a complex reading experience. Every single incongruity within the novel proves itself to be sensible and valid. Orwell skillfully enlaces this backwards society with contradictory slogans, ideology, and language that leaves one perplexed at what they just read, forcing one to reevaluate their own logic.
The novel 1984, written by George Orwell in 1949, details the life of a one Winston Smith and his constant, life long battle to defeat Big Brother. This dystopian vision of the future serves as a reminder to the reader that anything can happen, but it is up to humanity to shape what kind of future is wanted in the end. Although Orwell’s novel is rather convincing to the people of this time, it serves only as a warning to one of many outcomes that the world could face. This book was Orwell’s idea of how life could have ended up; had people not realized that there is always a way to change what we do not like in life. Through the author’s many literary techniques, he was able to weave in meaning and importance to simple everyday objects
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."
The setting is important to the overall novel studied because it helps highlight major themes in the novel, it further characterizes the motivations of the characters, and helps explain the overall message of the novel. In 1984 by George Orwell, the overall setting of the novel is in London, which is called Airship 1 in Oceania.
The relationship between Winston and Julia may seem to be based upon mutual love and respect, but in reality it is very one-sided. The two both take initiative in the relationship whether it be to benefit themselves or the other person, and bring something important to the relationship, however, the appeal of their secretive love wears off quickly as the relationship progresses.
Yet, Winston and Julia commit this forbidden crime of love to rebel against the Party’s ideals. Their relationship begins as an act of rebellion but soon blossoms into a fulfilling love for one another. They take enormous risks to be together despite the consequences the two can endure. A strong bond can save someone from the hatred they feel, whether it be towards themselves or others. Specifically, Winston’s love for Julia only becomes stronger the more he spends time with her. He begins to feel carefree and satisfied in a society of conforming, emotionless people. Orwell illustrates the affect of love when he writes:
The novel 1984 is a futuristic portrayal of the world in the year 1984. The main characters Winston and Julia fall in love with each other but are caught and purified of all their wrong doings. In the end they betray each other because of the pressure of the party. The party is a group that controls society in these ways: Manipulation of Reality, Invasion of Privacy, and Desensitization.
George Orwell’s dystopian political fiction novel 1984, initially published in 1950, still stands today as a timeless literary work, depicting, “not dramas of what life might be...but nightmares of what it is becoming” (Fromm 266). Though the novel is simple and easy to comprehend, it conveys a critical message, warning of the dangers of totalitarianism emerging from the well-intentioned construct of communism. Though the Second Red Scare most likely influenced Orwell’s composition of 1984, the themes and ideas are still relevant today. The novel also reveals multiple symbols and motifs which contribute to the relevance of the work. Consequently, one could argue the literary merit of 1984.