Society in 1984

Imagine living inside a society where every single one of your movements, thoughts and desires are closely examined by the government. In George Orwell’s novel 1984 Winston Smith’s feelings of rebellion for an escape of “Big Brother’s” watchful eye jeopardizes his life and satisfied intimate relationship with Julia. An individual’s responsibility to society is to pursue happiness for them and others to the best of their ability despite the consequences.
Throughout many months Julia spent her days and nights observing Winston Smith only to formulate a plan; one that would define their fate as allies, lovers and eventually enemies. “He flattened it out. On it was written, in a large unformed handwriting: I love you” (108) That was the note that began a loving yet dangerous relationship between Julia and Winston. “You wanted a good time; “they,” meaning the Party, wanted to stop you having it; you broke the rules as best as you could” (131) Julia did not care about the bits and pieces of the past like Winston, she lived for the present. Intimacy was her greatest form of rebellion; Julia did things because she wanted to, it made her feel like an individual, independent, disobedient and free from the rules of the Party. On the other hand, rebellion in Winston’s eyes was a matter of making a change, treasuring the history and hoping for the transformation of posterity. “To the future or to the past, to a time when thought is free, when men are different from one another and do not live alone--to a time when truth exists and what is done cannot be undone: From the age of uniformity, from the age of solitude, from the age of Big Brother, from the age of double-think—greetings!”(28)Feeling like he had the power to reach out and advise the future of things that could change the totalitarianistic society made Winston feel better about himself. To every cause there is an effect and knowing his actions, Winston foresaw his fate and carried it with him everywhere he went. From the moment he bought the journal and “...wrote DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER”(18) he had already started preparing himself for the worst, like death. Living inside the society of Oceania Winston struggled to be content. He felt empty sometimes and he could not help but over think the process of his own civic duty even though he knew he shouldn’t be questioning anything. Doublethink was “Reality Control” To know and not to know, to hold simultaneously to opinions which cancelled out, knowing them to be contradicting but believing in both of them. It was an unending series of victories over your own memory. This process although perplexing, if not done right would lead to thought crime the biggest crime to be committed which at last led to vaporization.
If your actions are controlled by a greater force that has complete control over you, it is almost impossible not to go wrong. Winston and Julia were aware of the mistakes they were making by having affairs but they undoubtedly discussed their opinionated views on the functions of the government. “She did not understand that there was no such thing as happiness, that the only victory lay in the far future, long after you were dead, that from the moment of declaring war on the party it was better to think of yourself as a corpse.”(135) For Winston, meeting Julia changed him for the better. He lost much of his hatred for life and started seeing the positives and as long as they were together they felt unified and unstoppable. One day, everything took a turn for the worse “We are the dead,” he said. We are the dead,” echoed Julia dutifully “You are the dead,” said an iron voice behind them. (221) This moment was not just a turning point for destiny it was also a bend in their happiness, all the love and trust that had been shared for the past months was finished and their companionship was no longer. They were taken to the Ministry of Love where they were brutally tortured. “He thought: “If I could save Julia by doubling my own pain would I do it?” Yes, I would.” (239) That was merely a thought, one that was human, a simple one that anyone would think for the ones they love. There came a time when that thought became an act of infidelity, a phrase that was uttered not felt by Winston Smith. . “Do it to Julia! Do it to Julia! Not me! Julia! I don’t care what you do to her. Tear her face off, strip her to the bones. Not me! Julia! Not me!”(286) And because of selflessness, because he would rather live then die, his worst fear—rats were about to eat him whole and in that moment he didn’t feel any love or happiness, all he felt was pain and all he wanted was for it to end.
In conclusion, in life we all search for happiness. It can range from a moment, to the adoration of a person or a memory from the past. But in the end, all we have inside is a spark of dignity. When that spark is beaten, mistreated and abused it begins to fade and you begin to lose the feelings you once had, forget the memories you made and begin to conform to whatever it takes for that pain to stop. That is what happened to Winston and Julia; they committed an act of betrayal not because they wanted to but because they needed to. “Under the spreading chestnut tree—I sold you and you sold me”. (293)