The Flawed World of 1984 A dystopia is an imaginary place or state in which the condition of life is bad, as from deprivation, oppression, or terror. Referring to the definition, totalitarianism throughout 1984 demonstrates all elements of a dystopia. Big Brother instills fear in the minds of Oceanians to access all power and build their version of a utopia. Orwell faults the world of 1984 to show the protagonist, Winston Smith, is able to overcome all fears the Party instills in him and to find it in himself to rebel against the totalitarian government. Winston criticizes his society for being so driven by party ideology which encourages them to go through mental processes that confuse them with what is reality as to the Party’s version of reality (Becnel 74). The protagonist proves himself to be a misfit in the society of 1984 by not conforming to the party’s ideas as others would, diminishing the idea of individuality. George Orwell portrays a dystopian society through a rebellious protagonist’s hatred of totalitarianism to illustrate the idea of nonconformity in 1984. Winston Smith can be comparable to someone who is above the middle class, but not exactly an elite either. He works with the outer party in the Ministry of Truth where they alter the history of Oceania to make it appropriate for their government. Winston has one thing against the government though making his placement in his work ironic, his memory. People do not have memories of life before
George Orwell’s 1984, widely known for its chilling descriptions of the dystopian society of Oceania, warns of a world in which individuality is virtually destroyed as one oppressive government controls all aspects of life. Decades after the novel’s publication in 1949, various nations today draw unsettling parallels with the characteristics of the government described in 1984. North Korea is one such example, particularly seen as a controversial topic in global debate. Although North Korea and Oceania in 1984 both possess totalitarian governments that attempt to control and restrict individualism, the means in which each government originated and gained authority differ.
Dystopias typically follow Anti-Heros, used as a plot device to create a depth of sympathy for the flawed character before having the character bend to the wills of their higher class in order to survive, depicting the inevitability of the obedience of the lower class to the higher class. In 1984, these notions are shown through O’Brien’s absolute control over the main protagonist, Winston Smith, and how his beliefs are of the highest class, created from the desire of power and nothing else.
George Orwell’s 1984 is a prime example of a deep dystopia with a totalitarian government. Totalitarian governments have full and total control. The Inner Party, which is the main form of government in Oceania, has total control over its people’s thoughts and actions. They use many forms of abuse in order to control them. The Inner Party controls the government and is the upper class. The middle class is called the Outer Party. These people are given jobs from the government and are more educated than the Proles, which make up the lower class. The Outer Party is in charge of executing the Inner Party’s policies, but they have no say in them. The government uses many forms of manipulation to control their people. The members of Oceania’s society do not misbehave out of fear of punishment. People who betray the government vanish. They disappear and there is no evidence that they even existed. The government also uses the threat of abuse to keep its people in line. People of Oceania know they can be tortured or killed for even the slightest misdemeanor. The middle class is led to believe that they are living a high quality life through a method of false prosperity. The government fools people by changing history so the only form of truth the people think they have is their own memory. Many people discard their own memories and believe whatever the Party tells them is truth. Winston Smith is the character in which the book is centered around. He has doubts
1984 was wrote by George Orwell, in the story he created a hypothetical world 40 years from then. In this alternate future three authoritarian states have taken over the entirety of the world. These governments erase history that does not agree with their policies. Ingsoc, the government of oceania that country where the story takes place, used advance survival as all public and private areas had TVs which contained cameras; microphones were also used to keep tab on the citizens. George Orwell used the story to warn about the potential dangers of a large centralized governments, in this instance to warn about the dangers of communism. Because of the satirical purpose which Orwell had in writing 1984, the characters in the book tend favor a shadowy or two-dimensional
Totalitarianism, derived from a society which proceeds without cautiousness towards governmental power, can induce many limitations among citizens and every aspect of their lives including individualism. In George Orwell’s 1984, the artificiality of the dystopian country influenced the protagonist of the novel, Winston Smith, to try and deceive the government in any way possible. Winston and many others view individuality as immensely important, but a large challenge to achieve due to the diminished hope evident in dystopia. Hope is prominent among Winston in his actions towards the totalitarian government, referred to as Big Brother, throughout the novel. From the beginning of the novel when readers are introduced to a dismal setting to
Winston Smith is a typical example of vertebrae in the spine of any society. Hard working and keeps a rigid structure by absorbing impact, filling the spaces with his unknown desires. The bending of laws to avoid self-destruction in constant pressure from society and government. The idea of having every thought controlled, monitored and limited to what the elite deem as a necessary compromise to maintain peace and order in Oceania or any other Utopia in a general sense. Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of their own choosing, to understand the concept is the true hell for Winston.
Imagine a world where the government, also called The Party, controls everything the citizens do. The Party monitors their every move by the telescreens that are in every home. Thoughtcrime is the act of thinking something that goes against Big Brother or threatens the Party’s power. If one does commit thoughtcrime, then they Thought Police will capture them and give them consequence. There is no essence of humanity in this world. Everyone is stripped of their own thoughts and told what to do and what to believe. This is the world portrayed in novel
Family is a concept older than recorded time. The fact that humans form familial bonds, take care of their young, and work together to achieve a goal is the reason that humanity has succeeded this far. But maybe for not much longer. In George Orwell’s 1984, a totalitarian government monitors everything that its citizens say, do, and even think in order to prevent revolution and suppress individuality. One of the ways the government achieves this is by destroying all bonds between members in a family by turning the children away from their parents (and towards the government) at a young age. To the government in 1984, a citizen’s closest relationship should be to the party. In fact, a citizens only good relationship should be with the party.
Dystopia is an imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded one (The Free Dictionary). Characteristics of a dystopian society are shown throughout George Orwell’s novel 1984, and in the 2002 film Equilibrium directed by Kirk Wimmer. Winston Smith, in 1984, is a lower ranked member of society, with an outer party member job. He is watched twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week through telescreens set up throughout Oceania. He always finds the Party’s omniscient leader staring back; also known as Big Brother. Winston becomes over-whelmed with all of the strict
George Orwell wrote 1984 to make a political statement about Socialism (Davison 1). In this novel, the author extrapolates the socialist movements of the 1920s to the point where they control three “superstates” that make up the world. The novel follows the story of Winston Smith, who is a middle class worker in Oceania, the superstate controlled by The Party. He is a non-conformist, who disagrees with the ideals and the actions of The Party, and decides to take action against it. The Party is the evolution of English Socialism, but unlike the latter, whose main focuses are equality, individual rights, production for the needs of the people, and co-operative ownership, The Party’s only goal is power (Orwell 36). The only motivation behind
Dystopia: a society characterized by human misery and oppression. A Dystopian world is controlled by a government that can do no wrong. They weed out the individuals and groups that have the thought or intend to commit their lives to “dethroning” the ruler; Big Brother. The government will do anything to protect their way of life. They will go to the extremes of changing the past to control the future. In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, the citizens live in a definitive dystopian world where the government forces the comrades to fit Big Brother’s purpose.
George Orwell’s dystopian novel Nineteen eighty-four explores the awful effects of a totalitarian regime on the citizens of Oceania as the oligarchy maintains conformity in society by instilling fear into people by constantly observing their every move. In this world, relationships have become meaningless bonds formed with little trust and no loyalty to one another, only loyalty to the Party and Big Brother. Oceanic society rests ultimately on the belief that Big Brother is omnipotent and the Party is infallible due to their success in exerting their despotic rule.
In the novel 1984 there are different types of Dystopias going on. Winston Smith is the main character in this novel. Winston lives in a world where he is constantly watched by surveillance and is basically told how to live and what to do. In a dystopian society , propaganda is used to control the people living within the society. Winston on the other hand is protagonist and feels like the world he lives in is weird or isn't right. The types of dystopian controls in this novel is Technological Control , Totalitarian Control , and Bureaucratic Control.
In George Orwell's 1984, a light is shining on the concept of a negative utopia, or "dystopia" caused by totalitarianism. Totalitarianism is, "a form of government in which political authority exercises absolute and centralized control over all aspects of life " and any opposing political and/or cultural expressions are suppressed. Having lived in a time of totalitarianism regime, Orwell had a firsthand account of its horrific lengths and negative affects. Within 1984, Orwell derives aspects of the actual government of his time to create, "The Party", "Big Brother", and the "Thought Police". Using these fictional recreations of reality, Orwell's 1984
The governments in today’s society have brainwashed their citizens into believing everything their leader says and thinks is correct and everything else is wrong. This can sometimes be known as a totalitarian government. George Orwell’s novel 1984 revolves around totalitarianism. The members of the party in Oceania are taught and required to worship their leader Big Brother whether they believe in him or not. In the novel 1984, George Orwell shows the problems and the hatred with a totalitarian government through his use of symbolism, situational irony, and indirect characterization.