Pleasure In 1984

“A life without pleasure is about fulfilling as the sun without sunshine.” – Mama Gena. The sun would be considered useless if no sunlight was produced.. The same principle also applies to humanity. Life itself would be dull and pointless if no pleasures existed. A government can manipulate the population’s minds if they have no reason to live. Their minds and actions would be effortlessly controlled by propaganda and brute force. In the novel 1984, the Party has reduced the pleasure the population of Oceania can have to basically nothing. The government limiting the people in what they can or cannot do is unjust and inhumane. Not much in life can the citizens enjoy except for the propaganda they are being fed. When one has a certain pleasure,
they become loyal and crave the action once more. Therefore, they would have loyalty away from the Party, which is a crime. If the party controls and reduces the satisfaction from food, materialistic items, sex, and love, then the population would have no purpose to live except for Big Brother.
Food is the main source of energy and one of the most important factors in life.
Without food, humanity would cease to exist for everybody would starve to death. The government could limit the amount of food distributed and also control what people are eating. Without basic nutrition the body would become scrawny and weak rapidly. Consequently, if every single person became weak and fragile then they would not have the physical strength necessary to revolt against the Party. To overthrow a totalitarian government the lower class would have to resort to violence and fighting. Food brings a significant amount of pleasure to all people. When one gorges an excessive amount of food only for satisfaction then they are committing gluttony. To avoid gluttony the party set rations on food such as chocolate. Chocolate has a powerful and addictive stimulant that brings a great pleasure. In modern society, giving someone else chocolate shows affection and romance. In 1984, Winston’s mother gave him and his sister a chocolate bar to share together. Winston was so stingy and cruel, he stole his younger sister’s portion of chocolate and ran away from home. (page 163) The desire for food in him became so great he stole from his own kin. The party set limits on other
food items other than just chocolate. The government also strictly control what coffee people can drink. In today’s society coffee plays a huge role in the lives of millions. Many Americans struggle to be productive at work without having a drink of coffee before. As a result, the body has become dependent on the pleasure coffee brings. Since coffee has so much power over humans the party only allows them to drink “Victory Coffee”. The coffee provided by the government could be considered unsatisfying and poor in taste. The Party keeps the highest quality meals for Inner Party members only. Julia claims that the party has any item they desire but some of the waiters manage to steal from the supply. (page 141) As the Inner Party feasts and dines well, the lower class survives off leftovers, stale bread, cheap booze, and revolting coffee. The government mainly controls the food consumed because they understand the pleasure food brings to the lives of people. Since they cannot allow any happiness they have made food bland and less enjoyable.
John Lennon once said, “If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there’d be peace”. Once everyone unites and fights for a common belief they can achieve anything. However, most people desire only the material side of life. Materialistic items take up too much time and commitment. Worldly possessions should not be what fulfills someone’s life and needs. They bring fun and entertainment, however humans have become addicted to them. Everybody wants a new television, car, phone, more makeup, etc. Everybody gets so caught up with these items they forget to appreciate the smaller things in life. As a result, the Party has banned ownership and the purchasing of items such as makeup. When a woman applies makeup to herself she feels a boost of confidence and delight. Ordinarily, men feel attracted to women when they have taken their time to get ready and make themselves look pretty. To avoid the self-confidence, the arousal, and the pleasure the party does not allow any members to wear makeup. Nevertheless, the Proletarians who hold the label as the lower class, apply makeup on a regular basis. They are free to do so because the Party does not make an effort to control them. Materialistic items such as makeup make one feel good about themselves and take loyalty away from the Party. The Party manages to stay in power this way because its citizens have no possessions or commitments to distract them from their duties to the nation.
According to many people, the main goal in life is to find true love..
With love absent the heart feels empty and shattered.. The feeling of love can be considered the strongest emotion a human can experience. Affection builds trust, relationships, and families. If relationships are not being built and people are not bonding, then they cannot unite and form a revolution against the Party. In most cases, love eventually leads to sex. Sex by far is the most intense pleasure stimulant for humans to experience. Since this sensation is so great the party does whatever it can to prevent sex. The party has indoctrinated the youth to believe sex is a dirty deed. To encourage young people to eschew from sexual activity the Junior Anti Sex League was established. Julia herself joined as a member, but she loved rebelling and having sex. As a result of love being forbidden, the only way two people can marry is if they are marrying to produce children for the Party. The party has such a close grip on the populations libido that the only time sex would be allowed is to reproduce, not for pleasure! For example, Winston’s first wife hated making love to him. She referred to the action as ‘doing their deed to the party”. Their sex life was such a drag even Winston despised intercourse. Sex should express how much you love someone and make you feel wonderful. The government of Oceania has tried so hard to vaporize this feeling by searching for ways to make men and women feel no sensation
while engaging in the act. If the Party succeeds, then the population would be missing out on a natural and beautiful part of human life. Once sex is no longer a pleasure then the power of the Party would only double. Fornicators would not have a way to please themselves and prostitutes would be out of a job. The only climax anyone would ever experience in life is through the Party.
Without freedom, humanity is as trapped as a bird with a broken wing in a cage. You can pray for your liberty as much as you want, but you will always be a prisoner. The freedom in life is what gives people their daily pleasure. The excitement, adrenaline, and happiness humans experience make life worth living. If no satisfaction was allowed then humanity would be unrecognizable. There would be humans, but no humanity. Everyone will only be a puppet being controlled by the totalitarian government. Every action you made would be due to their decisions not yours. Once they control what you can do, say, or feel, then they truly own your loyalty. You will not seek pleasure from food, materialistic items, sex, or even love. The Party will stomp on your face with their boot until all you desire in life is the pleasure and serenity Big Brother has to offer.