George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four: Modernist Fable

In a world where you get prosecuted for thinking something the government does not approve of, life can be scary. In the novel 1984, the citizens of Oceania live their lives oblivious to the world around them. From being under continuous surveillance by telescreens to the prohibition of speaking to the opposite gender, this novel serves as a warning to the people of the modern era. It gives an idea of what would happen to our future if people didn’t break free of societal norms. Orwell gives us a warning against a bleak, unfree future, a brainwashing government, and constant war.

George Orwell’s 1984 is more than just a novel, it is a warning to a potential dystopian society of the future. Written in 1949, Orwell envisioned a totalitarian government under the figurehead Big Brother. In this totalitarian society, every thought and action is carefully examined for any sign of rebellion against the ruling party. Emotion has been abolished and love is nonexistent; an entire new language is being drafted to reduce human thought to the bare minimum. In a society such as the one portrayed in 1984, one is hardly human. In George Orwell’s 1984, the party uses fear, oppression, and propaganda to strip the people of their humanity.

1984 examines a future under the rule of a totalitarian society. One of the unique notes about Orwell's 1984, is the views that Orwell presents on humanity, and human nature. Orwell presents humanity as divided into two sides- the dominant, and the submissive, with few quickly-eradicated anomalies in between. Human nature, however, is universal, and all humans

George Orwell uses his novel 1984 to convey that human beings, as a species, are extremely susceptible to dehumanization and oppression in society. Orwell demonstrates how a government’s manipulation of technology, language, media, and history can oppress and degrade its citizens.

George Orwell focuses his belief of the “[disbelief] in the existence of the objective truth because all the facts have to fit in with the words and prophecies of some infallible fuhrer”. He envisions the decay of future society and implements his ideas through his creation of “Nineteen Eighty-Four”. Indications of a psychological fear are examined initially through the progression and change of the human mind, which is built upon the oppression of the Party. Through the construction of a world with no freedom and individuality, the human mind adapts the change of truth and pay utter submission from the Party, to escape the presence of their ultimate weakness. With those who are rebellious of the rules of the Party gradually brings out the ugly nature of humanity. Through the fragility of the human mind, it reinforces Orwell’s idea of a corrupted society, as there no longer remains a variety of human emotions for the next generation to pass onwards. Thus conclusively portraying the defeat of human mind unable to withstand the physical and mental tortures from the Party.

The world that Orwell presents in Nineteen Eighty-four has often been called a nightmare vision of the future. Writing sixteen years into that future, we can see that not all of Orwell’s predictions have been fulfilled in their entirety! Yet,

1984, Orwell’s last and perhaps greatest work, deals with drastically heavy themes that still terrify his audience after 65 years. George Orwell’s story exemplifies excessive power, repression, surveillance, and manipulation in his strange, troubling dystopia full of alarming secrets that point the finger at totalitarian governments and mankind as a whole. What is even more disquieting is that 1984, previously considered science fiction, has in so many ways become a recognizable reality.

t has been sixty-six years since the first printing of George Orwell’s acclaimed book, Nineteen Eighty-Four. Almost seven decades have passed and many still wonders, was Orwell right? Has our society become a totalitarian wasteland? Nineteen Eighty-Four is a dystopian novel, taking place in what Orwell calls Airstrip One, or what is known today as England. When one closely observes the happenings in today’s world, one can see evidence of the Orwellian predictions that are established in the book. With those events, there are many parallels between Nineteen Eighty-Four and our society today with the usage of government surveillance, the decadence of language, and the annihilation of culture.

“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stomping on a human face—for ever.” In 1984 George Orwell shows the future as a place where you don’t have control of your life. The atmosphere Orwell creates in 1984 is a sort of controlling continuous unease depicted by imagery and suspense. The unease is not only felt by Winston, but also the reader because of the graphic details at times and the unsettling nerve of something about to happen that keeps you on your toes.

George Orwell wrote his best works during the tragic events of the fierce government repression of Communist Russia and Nazi Germany during the 1940’s. He expressed various grievances toward the high authority of these totalitarian governments and the abuse of their powers. In his writings, he alludes to many well known dictators, such as Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin, and he cynically views them as symbols of corruption and the loss of basic human rights and freedom. In his most renowned novel, 1984, George Orwell insightfully demonstrates how the repressing influence of a totalitarian government ironically amplifies and draws out the natural essence of humanity within the characters, specifically relating to romance, hope and rebellion, and fear and betrayal throughout the novel.

First published in 1949, Orwell certainly believed that the novel would have some higher purpose in the political sphere, and it did. But perhaps it wasn’t the purpose that was truly intended? Nearly seventy years after its first appearance, 1984 can be found on many high school, college and political group reading lists. Coining terms such as “Big Brother,” or “thoughtcrime,” the novel created an entirely new type of dystopian society defined by many as “Orwellian.” But with close reading one can see that George Orwell wrote 1984 for a very specific purpose. In 1984 Orwell writes about the dangers of deviating from a true socialist society.

George Orwell’s dystopian science fiction novel, Nineteen Eighty Four addresses the idea of a futuristic reality that has ultimately succumbed to control and surveillance. Orwell shows this by utilising a variety of stylistic conventions such as symbolism, foreshadowing, imagery and repetition. Throughout the novel, Orwell uses subtle events and symbols such as the glass paperweight and the face of Big Brother to enforce the idea of a setting without freedom of thought or control over one’s actions. Orwell’s use of symbols is also accompanied by repetition in the form of gripping slogans and symbols. Additionally, through the main protagonist Winston, the life of an individual in said dystopian society is explored. George Orwell through the use of symbols, imagery, foreshadowing and repetition explores the idea of a totalitarian society ruled by the terrifying identity known as Big Brother.

When the book 1984, by George Orwell, was first published, people thought very little of the world that had been created within the book. In this world, society was run by the Inner Party, whose "leader" is Big Brother. Big Brother is the embodiment of the Party; he is the one who controls everything. He controls food ration, living arrangements, work positions, privacy, and even a person's mind. Privacy did not exist. In modern times, many aspects of the anti-utopian novel are beginning to appear in society. One of the major factors that are becoming more and more like Big Brother is the Internet. More specifically, Google, a very popular search engine, has been ridiculed and attacked for certain policies it has and does not have that resemble Big Brother's antics. Google is under suspicion as being the next Big Brother by many parties, including an organization under Privacy International called Google Watch, because of their disregard of privacy, specifically, accessing its users' hard disk information off their computer (Brandt).

Readers of George Orwell have long appreciated the significance of his representation of a futuristic dystopian world. ‘Big brother is watching you,’ ‘Thought police,’ ‘Ministry of love,’ ‘Hate week,’ are expressions that Orwell used to represent his preoccupation with the totalitarian regimes of 20th century. More than one out of four Americans said they have red his dystopia and use his expressions in their language. Many critics claim that the novel opened up new prospects of political awareness. ‘1984’ is a political fiction in which the government eliminates all forms of political opposition, be it real or imaginary. The atmosphere of the novel is completely depressing because there is no hope for change. The government dominates people morally and forces them to live in constant fear. His terrifying vision of a future in which all aspects of society are controlled by a tyrannical system attracted the

In many ways, George Orwell used real problems in the world to write his novels. Orwell lived through many events that inspired some of the main topics in his book, 1984. In 1984, George Orwell illustrates what a totalitarian society would be like. At the time that he wrote this book, many citizens of England were afraid of their government having too much power over them. Orwell wrote 1984 to warn the public of what a powerful government can lead to. Even currently, 1984 can be related to different places or events in our world. The purpose of this paper will be to show how the past and present connect to George Orwell’s 1984. The misuse of power, societal expectations and communism are all influential parts of 1984 and can be connected