How Does Orwell Use Power In 1984

“War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” This is the slogan of Ingsoc, the governing Party in George Orwell's 1984. The Party is obsessed with power, and they obtained their current status by means that are highly inhumane and ultimately terrifying. Firstly, the political power within this book enforces repression of natural instincts and emotions in its characters, limiting existential crises and not allowing people to live satisfactory, worthy lives. Language was also a very important part of this book, as the Party attempted to make people less conscious by limiting the words in the English language in order to narrow the people’s range of thought. History also played a major role, as, in this book, it was alterable, ultimately

giving the Party more control. The main character of the novel, Winston Smith, worked in a department where he rewrote history, and forged documents to make citizens believe ‘Big Brother’, the leader of the Party, predicted the future, making him an all-knowing entity who people adored.

Winston was one of the few characters in the novel that tried to fight against the restrictive system of the Party. He commits deadly crimes like writing in a journal and falling in love and stays resilient in his attempts to keep his individuality and to live a fulfilling life. Orwell wrote his character as a way to portray what it means to be human, rather than a hero, as Winston ultimately failed and the Party was able to capture him. The Party had complete control over the citizens, and wanted authority simply to feel powerful and godlike, while Winston attempts to oppose due to his desperate desire to feel something

real.

The novel 1984, written in 1948, was George Orwell’s horrifying prediction of what Stalin’s totalitarian governing method could lead to decades in the future. In the book, there are three ruling superstates, Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia. The book takes place in Oceania, which covers America, the British Isles, and Oceania, where the Ingsoc Party and its omnipotent leader, Big Brother, is in control and is constantly seeking increasing amount of power. There are three levels of class in this society, the Inner Party, who are the ruling class and closest to Big Brother, the Outer Party, who are the educated workers, and the Proles, the working class that make up the majority of the population. In this community there are four Ministries, the Ministry of Peace, which affiliates itself with war, the Ministry of Love, with torture, the Ministry of Truth, with propaganda, and the Ministry of Plenty, with rationing and starvation. Already, the manipulative powers of the Party are evident, as the names of the Ministries contradict their purpose. This story takes place in London, where the streets are dirty and dust filled, there is not a substantial supply of food or clothing, and the Party allows for no privacy. Thought Police, being the secret police, constantly monitor microphones and cameras placed in homes, streets, and even bathrooms, and can arrest you for the slightest movement of your facial features that could be considered threatening to the Party. Moreover, citizens cannot have relationships with others as they have to save every emotion for Big Brother and the Party. Party members are also not allowed to speak ill of the Party or show any sign that they disagree with them in any way. Although, one thing that is mandatory for the members is a sort of pep rally called the 2 Minute Hate, where the Party presents a film encompassing Oceania’s worst enemies and citizens have to express their despise for those criminals for 2 whole minutes. The Party uses this event to restrict people's own thoughts and indoctrinate them into believing what the Party wants them to believe, as the citizens are left helpless in the midst of being brainwashed by the Party.

The protagonist of the book, a 39-year-old Winston Smith, is a character who has not yet subjected himself fully to the Ingsoc and Big Brother’s rules.

He has a strong will of keeping his personal freedom but eventually becomes overly paranoid about getting caught and takes reckless risks after his first act of defiance, writing in his journal. He also has a forbidden love affair with Julia, a younger, equally rebellious Outer Party member who shares his hatred for the Party and Big Brother. Their love itself is a rebellious act towards the Party, as it goes against the rule to not have any personal relations. Although Winston and Julia live happily for a few months, their contempt halts to a stop when the Thought Police capture them and send them to the Ministry of Love. There, O'Brien tortures Winston into believing whatever O’Brien tells him, such as when he holds up four fingers, he is really holding up five. “O'Brien held up the fingers of his left hand with the thumb concealed. / ‘There are five fingers there. Do you see five fingers?’ / ‘Yes.’ / And he did see them, for a fleeting instant, before the scenery of his mind changed. He saw five fingers and there was no deformity” (Orwell 270). This shows the lengths the Party goes to keep their citizens in control. Although, Winston's true breaking point was in Room 101, a terrifying place, as it holds the convicted person’s greatest fear. When O'Brien presented Winston with a cage of rats, his worst fear, he completely

loses himself and his humanity as he wishes them upon Julia, “‘Do it to Julia! Not to 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!’” (Orwell 300). This is when Winston loses his sense of self completely, and Big Brother has truly won, making him a shell of a living man. Orwell did not grant Winston a happy ending of escaping with Julia because that would contradict the idea that totalitarian governments are impenetrable. Likewise, Orwell used his style of writing to make Winston relatable. By giving him the last name of Smith, which is a popular last name, making him crave companionship and acceptance, “Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood” (Orwell 264), and giving him a normal job, readers could identify with him and see that he is an average person daring to fight for his beliefs. This was an important theme to Orwell, as he grew up under totalitarian rule, and he wrote this novel to demonstrate the effects a manipulative government could have on a population.