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Fear In George Orwell's '1984'

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Being structured on fear inhibits the possibility of a civilization's endurance. Fear can cause people to become unpredictable, to the point of sacrificing strong beliefs they once held. In 1984, Winston is determined to not sacrifice his relationship with Julia, as they both tell O'Brien that they are unwilling "'to separate and never see one another again'"(Orwell, 173), and when tortured, Winston holds on to the fact that he has held to his beliefs and not betrayed Julia(273). However, when placed in Room 101, facing his greatest fear, Winston quickly forgets his will to not hurt his relationship and his hope in the fact that he has not been unfaithful to her. When his fear gets closer, he exclaims, "'Do it to Julia...I don't care what you do to her'"(286). This exposure to Winston's greatest fear caused him to behave contradictory to his previous belief of loyalty …show more content…

His fear motivated his unpredictability and caused his unforeseeable action. Similarly, if an entire society is exposed to fear, the people will all act in a manner that is unpredictable and uncontrollable. Winston's outburst could not be contained because he was so afraid, and likewise, so will an entire civilization. The use of fear means the loss of control. Fear also causes more power to be given to the people in a society. Fear triggers the release of adrenaline, which enters the bloodstream with additional oxygen and not only strengthens the body by a significant amount, but focuses the mind as well(Wise). When an individual feels afraid, they are focused on one goal: to eliminate the threatening factor. Not only does this focus sharpen, but an individual's strength level and pain tolerance rise, giving them more power to react. People are built to avoid being afraid; a civilization structured on making them afraid soon becomes the threatening factor and will be retaliated against, creating almost certain revolt. Though fear can change how people act, it is unable to change someone's

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