Mob Mentality In 1984 And The Circle

Throughout the novel, Winston is always hiding his thoughts about the Party and about Big Brother, although he is completely against it. However, in order to ensure that he does not get caught, he must act as though he loves them and agrees with their power over society. Surveillance is shaping these characters to be a perfect representation of what they are expected to be, instead of being who they are.

In a totalitarian country, any ordinary citizen’s powers are limited, if at all possible. Although any individual is treated like a part of the society, he has no chances to play a vital role in it. A person is to follow officially dispersed propaganda and obey the rules, which intend to control everything. The totalitarian system uses any means including manipulation, intimidation and even the worst forms of repression just to achieve the main goal -  staying in power. George Orwell’s 1984 and Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest are very similar novels which describe two different societies being mainly focused on individuals opposing the existing systems. In Orwell’s novel, the

Social aspects in the novel 1984 conforms to the conventions of the dystopian genre. Specifically, fear of the outside world and foreign people is spread to promote reliance on the government. “Then the sheep-face melted into the figure of an Eurasian soldier who seemed to be advancing, huge and terrible, his submachine gun roaring and seeming to spring out of the surface of the screen, so that some of the people in the front row actually flinched backwards in their seats. But then in the same moment, drawing a deep sigh of relief from everybody, the hostile figure melted into the face of Big Brother…” (Orwell 15). This was Orwell’s description of the climax, when the treacherous Goldstein turns into an Eurasian killing machine by spraying

One of the major causes individuals get caught up in mob mentality is because people feel pressured to execute the corrupt actions in order to be accepted in society. Mob mentality can trigger certain emotions to participate in terrible public events in which causes harm to others. In the 1920’s, a horrible incident occurred in Duluth Minnesota which will always be remembered in history.

The brisk air fills the lungs of the students who shout, cheer, and sing in the bleachers of the sports stadium. One student starts the chant, as others follow, the next chanting louder than the first. It’s unlikely that these students would be yelling and singing the way they do if they were the only person doing it. This is mob mentality. The person starting this trend has a threshold of zero, because they didn’t need anyone to do it before they did, whoever is next has a threshold of one and the next, two and so on. Mob mentality is how people are influenced by their peers to adopt certain behaviors and a threshold is how many people it takes for this influence to be adapted by their peers. Mob mentality can be seen in many ways in The Crucible and at Blue Valley West. Groups spreading the pressures of things like bullying, accusations, and clothing in order to fit in are all great examples of mob mentality.

Much like the society of Denmark, corruption crept its way into Big Brother’s society in 1984. Big Brother has absolute control over every aspect of its citizens from physical to emotional. The fear that it brings upon its people emphasizes the control and constant reminder that “Big Brother is always watching you” (Orwell, 4). Winston barely survives these emotional roller coasters that the totalitarian government has put them in and straddles along in a government job, trying to piece together how he feels and what he should do with his life. The society influence can be seen in hate week, hate rallies, and the two-minute hate. Winston finds himself conforming to the crowds chants and people having no control over their own minds as they would drop there own beliefs just as an assigned speaker changes sides. To the extreme, the government is turning kids into these mindless spies, robbing them of their innocence. Madness, again, drives citizens in these rallies that “[were] not that one was

Similarly to Napoleon’s training of the puppies, the Party trains children to follow their rules and report thoughtcriminals. Children fill parents with the dread that they shall be determined a thoughtcriminal and taken away to the Ministry of Love. Inner and Outer Party members therefore aim to obediently conform to Big Brother’s laws. Fright of rebellious acts’ punishment cause members to discard opposing thoughts, permitting tyrannical authority to continue controlling citizens. The Party slogans are another insightful factor to examine. “Ignorance is Strength,” “War is Peace,” and “Slavery is Freedom” all induce fear and control the populace of Oceania. Power is gained and sustained by citizen’s ignorance to government manipulation. Lack of knowledge is retained by enslaving the citizens to obey laws without questioning. Citizens’ ignorance causes them to accept the atmosphere of apprehension that war creates. Together, the regulations control citizen’s education and stimulate fear, both of which promote totalitarian government’s power. Each of George Orwell’s novels, Animal Farm and 1984, simulate societies in which the government uses the next generation and laws to

    One of the many ways Big Brother controls his people is by using manipulation,to alter the past to fit the present. In the story Winston's job is to rewrite articles and papers to match what is s aid to be true. “The messages he received referred to articles or news items which for one reason or

Thomas Fuller once said, “The mob has many heads, but no brains.” In this day in age, mob mentality is seen as having a negative influence on society. Specific behaviors can be triggered by the influence of our peers around us, some of which can cause people to take perilous actions that can have a significant impact on humanity.

Is it the common human nature to feel power over others? A totalitarian government seeks to utilize its message of confinement and authority to control the many aspects of life. In the novel 1984, Orwell portrays totalitarianism through psychological manipulation, physical control and the control of language.

Orwell’s warning of the dangers of totalitarian regimes to his contextual readers and future audiences is portrayed through his novel, 1984, because “Big Brother is Watching You”, exerting total control over the masses. The masses are effectively controlled by the thought police, telescreens and children who are “against their parents and taught to spy on them and report their deviations”.... Orwell writes about the potential dangers that are inherent when power and technology are abused, resulting in mindless citizens and “a world of fear and hatred and torment”, which Winston perfectly captures with his metaphorical epiphany; “we are the dead”. Like the dead, society will become opiated, lacking individual thought, a highly valued asset of

“They could lay bare in the utmost detail everything that you had done or said or thought; but the inner heart, whose workings were mysterious even to yourself remained impregnable (Orwell, 174.)” There are some citizens who realize that the inner heart and innate essence of the society members are the only things that aren’t able to be damaged by the Party. In the novel, 1984, by George Orwell, the protagonist, Winston Smith, is one of the few citizens who knows it is difficult yet crucial and possible to “stay human,” by preserving the fundamental traits of humanity and resisting the Party’s abuse of those characteristics.

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.

This quote exemplifies the extent to which the Party hijacks the mental processes of people to gain power, and how that is more crucial to unopposed power than physical control already established. Thus, Orwell presents a perspective on power through exploring the restriction of free thought and movement, and how that benefits a totalitarian government.

Mob mentality can occur in any society. It can take place at any time, any day or any night. Mob mentality does not have a direct target. It will take over anyone, leaving them with no control over themselves. Mob mentality proves that under critical situations people will be selfish and follow others’ leads; however, the leads people usually follow are not the ones best for them. Due to large amounts of stress everyone carries, people do not think as clearly as they normally would. Those horrible leads that people choose to follow will eventually cause groups to become out of control. Violence usually ensues when within