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1984 Marxist Analysis

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A class struggle between two economic divisions is not just about the distinction and conflict but also the ideology of dominance that the “have’s” has set on the “have not’s”. The most general way of understanding economic structure within a literary work is to apply the Marxist Literary Theory. Marxism is based on the philosophy of Karl Marx, which follows the idea that life within an economic system is the struggle between social classes. The literary criticism is based on the belief that historical social and economic conditions determine literary works. Marxist literary theory examines a text containing a power structure between two groups, the Proletariat and Bourgeoisie, and its representation. An example of a Marxist …show more content…

The social classes are distinguished as the Inner Party (Bourgeoisie), the Outer Party (Middle class) and the “Proles” (Proletariat). The book is centered on an Outer Party worker, Winston Smith, who begins to question the government’s authority and how it manipulates their people. Through a Marxist Literary analysis, 1984 displays a social power structure in the society, which is demonstrated through the privileges that differentiate the party classes, the Party’s exploitation over human consciousness, and the emphasis of power. Therefore, the totalitarian government is a representation of a socialist capitalistic system that values control of its power structure.

To begin, the text demonstrates a distinction among the party groups as whoever is in power, have the highest privileges. For instance, throughout the story, Orwell emphasizes the lack of privacy that everyone has, hence the famous quote, “Big Brother is watching you”. Telescreens appear in every room to monitor behavior that can potentially harm the Party. Winston is watched over his every move and plans, which then leads to his downfall. Winston and Julia met up with O’Brien, a member of the Inner …show more content…

To further explain, the Party entrenches the ideology to remain unquestioned by those capable of recognizing oppression. According to the Party’s slogan, “who controls the present controls the past” (Orwell 37). Based on Marxist Literary belief, historical conditions determine human thought, as mind is a product of it historical influences. The Party dominates their people because history is rewritten in their favor. As a result, they will remain in power because their people’s consciences will automatically stay devoted under the party without questioning due to insufficient evidence to prove otherwise. In addition, the Party is also able to prevent rebellion by instilling “doublethink” into their people’s mind. The technique convinces the brain to believe something to be true when it is not, for example, “2 + 2 = 5”. The party is successful in maintaining its power due to the practice of “doublethink” in which the proletariats are incapable of questioning their position in life: “To a Party member it means loyal willingness to say black is white when the Party discipline demand this” (Orwell 221). Orwell’s use of “doublethink” displays an extreme form of false consciousness. Marxism describes false consciousness as the inability of the human mind to see things, especially during an exploitation or oppression for they fail to

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