Fear In 1984

“War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength”, now who would ever believe such ridiculous phrases? With the correct use of manipulation anyone can make people believe in anything. Through the eyes of Winston, the protagonist in 1984, we observe the forces used for the government to retain its complete power over the people. The government almost diminished free thought of the people, has destroyed any means of building relationships, and utilized fear to make sure everyone would stay true to Big Brother. In such a dystopian society it may only take one person to overcome such obstacles, or so we thought. Orwell designed 1984 to warn his readers about the grave dangers in having totalitarian governments such as the one presented
Winston's drinking problem and ulcer is presented many times in the novel, we know it is an issue that he greatly struggles with. But his relationship with Julia drastically changes them, “Winston dropped his habit of drinking at all hours...his varicose ulcer has subsided. The process of life had ceased to be intolerable” (Orwell 1984). Due to his relationship with Julia his mental process and view of the world changes, he believes in himself and has ignited his own personal rebellion even more than
“I betrayed you” (Orwell 1984), the betrayal between Julia and Winston had grave significance, it showcased the power the government has over the people. Throughout the novel we see the importance that love has on restoring Julia and Winston to normal human beings who are in control of their own selves but even that was collapsed under the power of the party. Julia speaks to Winston about her betrayal stating , “You want it to happen to the other person. You don’t give a damn what they suffer. All you care about is yourself.” (Orwell 1984). It was hard for them to betray each other, they fought it off as much as possible, but when being presented with their worst fear they did what most people do under pressure. Room 101 plays an important role in the novel, it is the Party’s biggest weapon. Just thinking about the room itself-even when not knowing what is behind it-brings fear in the people. Fear is what the government's eats off of, either the people stay loyal to the party or they go straight to Room 101. No one will take their chances and choose to listen to the party no matter what they say. In Room 101 Winston was able to take the physical torture of the party but once they revealed his hidden fear (fear of rats), the thought of confronting it is what lost his grip of the pact with Julia and he finally caves in to the