How Does George Orwell Use Power In 1984

This paper will analyze George Orwell’s 1984 based off of Brzezinski’s six defining traits of a totalitarian regime, inspired by the works and ideas of Hannah Arendt. Martin Malia lists these points as “(1) An elaborate ideology, (2) a single mass party, (3) terror, (4) a technologically conditioned monopoly of communication, (5) a monopoly of weapons and (6) a centrally controlled economy” (Malia, Pg 12). Once the novel is analyzed according to these criteria, it will explore the importance and impact of relevant topics, such as Doublethink, George Orwell’s life, and the relevance of 1984’s message. By describing the society of 1984 points 2-6 are demonstrated, attesting to the totalitarian nature of the work’s society.

In the Orwell’s

This police force is the most dreaded, and is responsible for the torture of the protagonist, who throughout the work states that it’s only a matter of time before the police torture or kills him. An example of this is presented when Winston thinks to himself, “Mrs. Parsons would be vaporized. Syme would be vaporized. Winston would be vaporized. O’Brien would be vaporized. Parsons, on the other hand, would never be vaporized” (pg 61). Again, it isn’t blatantly stated in the work how Winston knows who the party tortures or executes. In fact, it’s not exactly stated how Winston or his lover, Julia know that actions as innocuous as having an affair would be punishable by death. But the fact that day-to-day things like starting a diary or making the wrong facial expression, are perceived as punishable in such harsh ways is indicative of the Party’s use of terror. The fact that the protagonist knows of these punishments under a system that has such control over life and information is indicative of their existence. The Party’s use of terror is further confirmed when Winston is tortured after being captured by the thought police, confirming that the personal terror Winston expresses isn’t just imagined, it’s a deliberate tool of the party. But another form of terror comes from the party’s control over

Winston testifies to the object’s surveillance purpose when Orwell writes “The telescreen received and transmitted simultaneously…There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment…You had to live-did live, from habit that became instinct- in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard and… every movement scrutinized” (Pg. 3). It’s clear that by controlling telescreens, the party controls any information that is transmitted between them. But this also gives the party huge control over communication between people as well. Because people can never be certain of when they are being listened to or not, the possibility dictates everything they do for fear of the Party’s terror being turned on them. This severely limits the possible realms for political dissent, free thought and communication at all times. It is the impregnation of daily life with constant terror at being caught doing something worth of arrest. The only realm of life this doesn’t cover is thought, and even for that, the Party in 1984 managed to conjure a solution. But before this can be explored, the party’s elaborate ideology must also be