Conformity In George Orwell's '1984'
Big Brother is Watching You
John F. Kennedy once said, "conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth." 1984, a dystopian novel, was written by George Orwell. Remarkably ahead of its time with an ancient publication date of 1949, the novel deals with very modern ideas such as the government overreaching its power, and the rise of technology. The author utilizes the backdrop of an extremely oppressive, totalitarian government named Big Brother to demonstrate that humanity naturally desires nonconformity, but when put in the worst of scenarios, chooses conformity out of self-preservation. The story starts off through the eyes of the protagonist, Winston Smith. For as long as he can remember, he has lived his life in alignment …show more content…
In 1984 it states, "Just say who it is and I 'll tell you anything you want. I 've got a wife and three children. You can take the whole lot of them and cut their throats in front of my eyes, but not room 101!" (Orwell 194). The individual 's mind and body had been so manipulated he had lost all empathy and only cared for himself. Furthermore, one of Winston 's main beliefs was, "True freedom is being able to say two plus two is four, regardless of Big Brother 's view." (Orwell 96). On the contrary, when he is put to the test in an interrogation lab he cannot hold out. While holding up four fingers, O 'brien asks, "How many fingers, Winston?" To which Winston replies, "Four! Five! Four! Anything you like. Only stop it, stop the pain!" (Orwell 236). This implies that no matter how many years someone can convince themselves of something, when faced with pain conformity will likely follow. When Winston and Julia meet again, there is a depressing reality that they have both conformed due to their inability to hold out on such extreme torture. After months apart, when Julia and Winston are finally side by side once again they both say, "I betrayed you." (Orwell 283). This suggests that no matter what your earlier emotions toward someone were, in the end you only care about
John F. Kennedy once said, "conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth." 1984, a dystopian novel, was written by George Orwell. Remarkably ahead of its time with an ancient publication date of 1949, the novel deals with very modern ideas such as the government overreaching its power, and the rise of technology. The author utilizes the backdrop of an extremely oppressive, totalitarian government named Big Brother to demonstrate that humanity naturally desires nonconformity, but when put in the worst of scenarios, chooses conformity out of self-preservation. The story starts off through the eyes of the protagonist, Winston Smith. For as long as he can remember, he has lived his life in alignment …show more content…
In 1984 it states, "Just say who it is and I 'll tell you anything you want. I 've got a wife and three children. You can take the whole lot of them and cut their throats in front of my eyes, but not room 101!" (Orwell 194). The individual 's mind and body had been so manipulated he had lost all empathy and only cared for himself. Furthermore, one of Winston 's main beliefs was, "True freedom is being able to say two plus two is four, regardless of Big Brother 's view." (Orwell 96). On the contrary, when he is put to the test in an interrogation lab he cannot hold out. While holding up four fingers, O 'brien asks, "How many fingers, Winston?" To which Winston replies, "Four! Five! Four! Anything you like. Only stop it, stop the pain!" (Orwell 236). This implies that no matter how many years someone can convince themselves of something, when faced with pain conformity will likely follow. When Winston and Julia meet again, there is a depressing reality that they have both conformed due to their inability to hold out on such extreme torture. After months apart, when Julia and Winston are finally side by side once again they both say, "I betrayed you." (Orwell 283). This suggests that no matter what your earlier emotions toward someone were, in the end you only care about