Movie the Matrix and George Orwell's 1984

Movie the Matrix and George Orwell's 1984

Neo was now surrounded by people just like him who were searching for answers as to what the Matrix is. As they were sitting around the table, Mouse turns to Neo and says, "To deny our impulses is to deny the very thing that makes us human." During the Agent Simulation Training with Morpheus, Neo follows his impulses and turns around to look at the woman in the red dress, Mouse's proud creation. Neo was only following his human instincts. Of course, Mouse's statement would only be true for all humans if we were actually allowed to have impulses. Winston Smith, in George Orwell's 1984, would certainly disagree with this notion of humans having impulses, and every one in Airstrip One, Oceania would not even know what an impulse is. Winston followed his impulses when he saw that creamy book at the window of a little junk shop on his way home from work one day. He had been stricken immediately by an overwhelming desire to possess it. And that's all an impulse is: a spontaneous incitement or a natural tendency usually other than rational. An impulse is a sudden emotion, usually uncontrollable and yet it had to be controlled. Winston follows his impulses and he buys the book. He then walks guiltily home because even with nothing written in it, that book was a compromising possession (9). But that simple act of purchasing an empty book could have caused him his life at that very moment. The citizens of Oceania are not allowed to have impulses and they were never taught what an impulse is to begin with. The Party could make it known that impulses of any kind are forbidden and will result to serving time in a forced labor camp or even death. The citizens of Oceania are denied the very thing th...

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... knew from the start that Neo was the One. He is the One to protect humanity and secure its future. Winston, on the other hand, did not receive any of the answers that he was looking for. He wanted to know if he was the only one in possession of a memory, and he wanted to know if this was all there is to life. But the Party convicts him of thoughtcrime and changes everything he ever believed in. The Party made him learn about Big Brother, they made him accept him, and ultimately, they made him love Big Brother and the principles of Ingsoc, and Winston did. Winston failed and he will never know what came of his mother and his younger sister, and know what really happened to them. He will never know what life was like before this and what life is like afterwards.

Works Cited

Orwell, George. 1984 New York: New American Library, 1949.

Movie: The Matrix, 1999