The Outer Party Analysis

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George Orwell’s 1984 novel goes through the life of Winston who is trying to resist the power of the totalitarian government of Oceania known as The Party. Although the proles do seem to be marginalized by the inner party, they aren’t aware of it. They are free and have the sense of individualism to live their life. On the other hand, the outer party is aware of the Party’s manipulative powers, and they are capable of rebellion. Because of this, they are put under severe monitoring. Through showing different ways the Party exercises their supreme power, Orwell marginalizes the outer party. The Inner Party uses its power to attempt to control the thoughts of the outer party. Firstly, they keep the Outer Party (and the proles for this matter) uneducated when it comes to wars and other events Oceania is involved in, for example, the wars with Eastasia and Eurasia. Throughout the novel, the Party goes back and forth with whom they are at war with. Whether, they tell the citizens that they are against Eurasia or Eastasia, they claim to have been at war with that nation and only that nation. Constantly changing these facts makes Winston and other Outer Party members question the legitimacy of it, but they have no other choice but to agree with it and show their excitement about it. This shows how powerless the Outer Party truly is. Secondly, by including that “in the end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it”(80), it shows the huge amount of power the Party withholds, and it shows how much impact the Party can have on its people. By pointing out a clearly false fact, it reinforces the idea that the Outer Party can be related to those who are brainless – those who are almost like robots th... ... middle of paper ... ...as long as the party exists.” In other words, as long as the Party exists, its citizens of Oceania will always be watched. Again, this shows how the outer party is marginalized due to the lack of knowledge they have about their government and the lack of power they have. By setting the atmosphere of Oceania to be fearful and full of paranoia, Orwell demonstrates the inner party’s ability to silence the outer party and show ultimate control over them. In conclusion, Orwell used many elements in 1984 in order to show the social status of the outer party and how they were marginalized. By showing the sheer power the totalitarian government of the Party obtained, the ways in which they monitored the outer party, and how they use Big Brother as a symbol that they are always being watched; Orwell painted the outer party to be an underprivileged and fearful group of people.

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