Power In George Orwell's 1984

“ Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” (Lord Acton). In George Orwell’s 1984, the one with the most power is the Party. This dystopian world is run by Big Brother’s viewpoint on history, whether or not he thinks it should be followed or written over. The theme of power in 1984 is used to dismember a common man in a way that’s disheartening. The acts made by O’Brien and the government of Oceania show psychological manipulation to gain power. The Parties power and control is maintained by the idea of Big Brother. Big Brother is the face of the Party, many think of him as a trustworthy figure. To criminals, Big Brother acts as an enemy. Big Brother uses the telescreens of the Party as a way to watch over everyone

“The second thing for you to realize is that power is power over human beings. Over the body, but above all, the mind”, (page 236). Solipsism is a word that Winston uses to describe what the Party is doing to people's minds. When Winston was being tortured by O’Brien, O’Brien kept saying how there is nothing outside what the party says, but all Winston could think about was all the examples of things he found that proved the Party wrong. "Winston shrank back upon the bed. ‘Whatever’ he said, the swift answer crushed him like a bludgeon. And yet he knew, he knew, that he was in the right. The belief that nothing exists outside your own mind -- surely there must be some way of demonstrating that it was false? Had it not been exposed long ago as a fallacy? There was even a name for it, which he had forgotten," (page 237). The Party thinks if reality is internal, and consciousness is alterable than reality is something to modify to one's liking. Control is the Party’s middle name.

The Party has 1 goal: to change the mind of the public and to make them united as one. They control this power with Big Brother and his viewpoints. The only thing the Party cares about is power, nothing more and nothing less than power. The dystopian world of 1984 is wretched and not the course human experience should live to. Humans should be glanced upon at times, but not watched like fish in a bowl. As a consequence to the Party watching over everyone, freedom was taken away from each