1984: Final Thoughts

The dystopian world that George Orwell creates in his novel 1984 is one where all citizens live their lives totally controlled by an oppressive, authoritarian government. All aspects of their lives are controlled, from their lives, their jobs, their relationships, even their thoughts.

The Party, as the group in control is called, enforces their way of living on its citizens through many methods. One is a police force called the Thought Police. Their job is as the name suggests, is to make sure that no party members have malicious thoughts against the government. To aid them, there are screens that are placed in nearly every room, called telescreens. These screens constantly feed propaganda to citizens, but also function as cameras to allow The Party to monitor their movements.

Aside from the citizens, there are also members of society called the proles. The proles are not monitored by The Party and in general, The Party pays little attention to them, even though they make up 85% of the population. They live in squalor and are generally ignorant, poor, and uneducated.

Imagine living in this world. Aside from what was just described, the government also constantly changes history to suit its needs, almost by the hour. They change language to become more simplified. They create youth groups, comparable to Hitler Youth, that spy on adults to make sure their actions are loyal to The Party. They constantly live in war with the two other countries that are left in the world. They force ideas and hate into the minds of their citizens. Every aspect of your life would be controlled.

Unfortunately, individuals don't fight against this political deceit and oppression, because if they do, they will either die or be tortured. As a reader, you see the general population that is part of the Party to simply accept everything the government tells them. You see the proles live in total ignorance and squalor, unable to effectively use their opportunity as the only members of society who have the information available to overthrow the oppressive government. You see Winston, who wants to fight back, but knows in the back of his mind when he does that he will get caught. Then, you see Julia, who simply does not care anymore. In the end, the two who showed any sign of resistance were tortured and brainwashed to become obedient. There was no resistance. There was only acceptance and defeat.

How would you respond?