Examples Of Novum In 1984 By George Orwell

Within any work of science fiction, there are several literary elements that the reader will undoubtedly converge upon. One of the most important of these elements is the novum of the story. According to The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, a novum is “a conceptual challenge to everything we hold dear, often including today's hard-won scientific knowledge and activities, and even the nature and worth of human consciousness, individual and social alike” (Broderick). George Orwell’s classic story, 1984, was not intended to be written as a science fiction novel but rather as a political dystopian story warning about the dangers of a future that has embraced totalitarianism. However, 1984 still falls under the spectrum of science fiction and consequently
They use a variety of maneuvers on this front to ensure that their citizens are too afraid to even think about revolting in even the smallest of ways. The largest cause of fear in citizens is the threat of the Thought Police, a group of people who are hired to monitor the telescreens of the nation and to take action against those who express any negative emotions towards the Party or even those who express disinterest in Party activities. The people of Oceania especially have to fear their subconscious mind at night, as most arrests are made while people are talking in their sleep. For most citizens, getting captured by the Thought Police means that they don’t get a trial but simply disappear. “Your name was removed from the registers… your one time existence was denied and then forgotten. You were abolished, annihilated: vaporized was the usual word” (Orwell 22). The threat of vaporization is another fear tactic that is largely used by the government, as people regularly disappear for no reason. These things, along with posters stating “Big brother is watching you” and the Ministry of Love are enough to scare the citizens of Oceania into