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Alienation in 1984

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Alienation in 1984
Alienation In 1984 In the novel 1984 by George Orwell there are many causes which lead to Winston Smith’s alienation. Winston lives in the dystopian society known as Oceania, which is controlled by the “Party” and a dictator named “Big Brother.” “Big Brother” watches over and controls the thoughts and actions of the citizens in Oceania. Winston feels oppressed by the control of the “Party”. The actions of the “Party” affect Winston and lead him to feel alienated. To alienate is to make someone feel indifferent. One way alienation is defined as is, “alienation, in social sciences, the state of feeling estranged or separated from one’s milieu, work, products of work, or self”. (Alienation Society) In 1984 it is very evident that the “Party” is one of the factors that could have led to Winston Smith’s alienation. In Oceania, all of the citizens are controlled and watched over by “Big Brother”. This total control has caused Winston to think differently of everyone. He feels that he is the only person in Oceania that thinks freely. Winston’s free thinking leads him to believe that he is different from the world around him. The ability to have freedom of thought caused him to feel indifferent and isolated from everyone. This has led to his alienation. According to Discover Your Mind alienation creates isolation and vice versa, “Alienation can produce isolation. The person's values have become different from the norm.” (Alienation discover-your-mind) and it also causes one’s views to be drastically change. Oceania is controlled by a totalitarian group called the “Party”. Totalitarianism is a form of government which seeks to take away freedom and forces individuals to live by the values of their government. The way they rule the people takes away all of their freedom. There are many crimes in place that keep everyone “equal”. The government was a great factor to his alienation. This is even true in real life, “Already, Fromm observes,


Bibliography: "1984 by George Orwell. Orwell, George. 1984. Ed. Erich Fromm. New York: Harcourt, 1949. "Alienation." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Web. 01 Apr. 2012. . "Alienation." Discover Your Mind. Web. 01 Apr. 2012. . “Alienation (society)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 01 Apr. 2012. Deery, June. "George Orwell. Nineteen Eighty-Four." Utopian Studies 16.1 (2005): 122+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 1 Apr. 2012. "Explanation of: 'Nineteen Eighty-Four ' by George Orwell." LitFinder Contemporary Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2010. LitFinder. Web. 10 May 2012. Fitzpatrick, Kathleen. "An overview of 1984." Literature Resource Center. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Literature Resource Center. Web. 15 May 2012. Pittock, Malcolm. "The hell of Nineteen Eighty-Four." Essays in Criticism 47.2 (1997): 143+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 15 May 2012.
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