The Main Conflict in This Story Was Man vs. Society in 1984

The main conflict in this story was man vs. society. The man, a frail person in his late 30's to early 40's named Winston, v. society's totalitarian government that controls every aspect of it's peoples' lives. In this book, 1984, the government eliminates privacy with an instrument called a telescreen, a tv with an intercom and a camera in every room, which is always on. They use the telescreens to keep constant surveillance over people in their own homes. There is also no way to tell if the party is right or wrong because they are constantly altering things, books, newspapers, magazines, etc.. They do this because it makes it seem that things are constantly getting better. By doing this they also help keep their power. People can't compare their standard of living even to the day before and know if its true. They are constantly posting statistics of how they have improved food rations, living conditions, literacy rates, and things such as shoe production even though half the population goes barefoot. Though the lies are obvious, nobody can prove them wrong because all written documents are reviewed, changed, or destroyed by the party so nothing bad about them can be proven. Winston has lived under the party and its leader, Big Brother, for most of his life. He is a middle class citizen who works in the Ministry of Truth. The Ministry of Truth

changes documents to better suit the party. They review ,change or destroy all forms of entertainment. Winston, even though he hates the party, loves his job because it is very challenging. Through his job he learns the extent of his party's lies which increases his hate of them. Winston buys a diary in which he writes about how he hates the party and wishes for their down fall. For him writing in the diary he immediately considers himself a dead man because he has committed a thought crime against the party. If you commit a thought crime you are eventually caught and arrested by the thought police and taken to an unknown fate at the Ministry of Love. Winston furthers his crime by starting a private relationship with a woman named Julia. This is a crime in that the party arranges couples, not the citizens. This is done to help eliminate individuality. In this conflict, instead of the good guys winning, the bad guys do. Winston and Julia, rather than inciting a revolution or escaping the country, are caught by the thought police and taken to the Ministry of Love. At the Ministry of Love, Winston is tortured until his spirit is broken and he no longer has even the faintest thought of rebellion. They then torture him more to brainwash him to get him to love the party and eventually release him back into society as a loyal party member.