1984 Essay



Could the world in 1984 ever really exist? This question haunted me throughout the whole book. And if I had to give my opinion, I'd would say it is definately most possible. Orwell portrays Oceania just realistically enough to convince readers that such a society has, in fact, existed and could exist again if people forget the lessons taught by history, or fail to guard against tyrannical, totalitarian governments. These two themes, totalitarianism and history, tie together the plot and messages in 1984.

Orwell sets his story in war-torn London. Thirty to forty bombs rain down on the city per week and everywhere Winston turns reminders of the war, such as the Two Minutes Hate and posters plastered with Party slogans. Orwell’s first readers, English people during the late 1940s, would have immediately recognized themselves. Having just emerged from WWII, Londoners would have definatlely related to the deprivation and destruction portrayed in 1984.

However, while Winston placed full blame for his situation on the shoulders of Big Brother, and the party, Londoners would not have identified the cause of their misery as the British government. The British would have blamed Nazi Germany for starting the war and causing such chaos and devastation. Winston’s rebellion against Big Brother would have related with early audiences because they too had recently struggled to defeat the totalitarian army of Nazi Germany. While it is difficult to pinpoint a specific event that set off WWII, the people fighting in the Allied armies must have believed that their mission was to crush totalitarianism and restore democracy around the world. Given this context, 1984’s political messages emerge unmistakably clear.

The Party is a totalitarian government. Neither the Outer Party nor the proles have any influence on the direction of their country or the rules that govern their lives. The Inner Party controls the media and infiltrates citizen's private lives to gain complete control over every part of human life, including love and sex. When the propaganda, deprivation, and strict guidelines(there are no laws) fail to convert someone to INGSOC, the party uses torture to brainwash citizens. The fact that the Party must turn Winston into a walking zombie to finally crush his beliefs, reveals the Party’s ultimate weak spot. Since the principles of INGSOC fail to inspire smart people like Winston, the Party has no choice, but to use extreme force to stay in power.

History is another important theme in 1984. Orwell warns readers that the Oceania way of life will be the future, if people fail to learn the lessons taught by major historical events and figures such as WWI, WWII, Hitler, and Stalin. The Party understood the power of history. A citizen educated to understand history would not allow the Party to continue. Thus, the Party eliminated nearly everyone who remembered the past before Big Brother, and created a new post-Big Brother history. The party than changed history through the Ministry of Truth so much that it was impossible to ever know what was happening or what had happened.

It is ironic that Winston worked in the Ministry of Truth, changing historical facts to suit the Party. In a small way, Winston added to the collective unconsciousness that haunted Oceania, maintained order, and secured his own weakness against the party. But, if Winston had not worked in the Ministry of Truth, he would not have gotten the proof he needed to validate his subconscious & unconsciousness proof that the Party was in fact evil. Actually, had it not been for several articles about past rebels that crossed his desk, Winston’s internal hate for the party would never have turned into total rebellion. It is also telling that Winston’s commits his first act of rebellion by writing in a diary. The act of recording his present conditions that he lives in, showed extreme disloyalty to the Party, because Winston was actually documenting true history. Totalitarian rulers throughout history, such as Hitler, destroyed books and executed journalists and intellectuals, because they understood the power of documentation and history. While Orwell clearly shows that history can be muted, he also proves that this type of mutation leads to the death of love, culture and freedom.

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