Theme Of 1984 By George Orwell

George Orwell wrote the dystopian novel 1984 in 1949 and, like other novels written by Orwell, holds a strong political message. Orwell’s disdain for communism and how it affects those under it was visceral and seems blatant with the story's detail to the oppression and resistance of it by some characters. The story opens with the main character Winston Smith and his struggle with memory in the oppressive government known as Big Brother, then grows the line up with other main characters like Julia and O'Brien. In order to drive the overall point of the story the author had to use several themes in his book, the most prominent themes were symbolism and tone. The author’s style is defined through blatant and erie diction, accompanied by his
commitment to expressing his ideas through appeals to humanity and hope. The story also appears to be a cautionary tale to society, playing heavily on the idea that the human spirit is unable to survive or stay free under a government that does not allow it to be. In the beginning of the book, Orwell focuses on the gloom and blatant oppression felt in Oceania, with slogans reading “Ignorance is strength” and “Freedom is Slavery” plastered on the walls. The man we are first introduced to and follow throughout the story is Winston Smith, who is a worker at the Ministry of Truth, scrubbing history to fit the government's needs. When we meet Winston he is having trouble with his memory and has just started a diary. In Oceania, writing your own ideas and thoughts is against the rules and defying those rules could mean execution, but he knows this. Winston enters his apartment, sits in the part of the room that the telescreen can not see, and begins to put down his thoughts against the party. This is the first of what became many small rebellious acts Winston takes.The setting Winston is in is described as gray and lifeless; Posters along the street proclaim “Big Brother is Watching.” Big Brother is the reigning government of Oceania. At work, Winston takes note of a young brown haired lady. On some level he is afraid she is a member of the Thought Police, a government force that seeks out those who want to undermined Big Brother and the their plan. It is not until the young lady, named Julia, slips him a note that reads “I Love You.” Winston finds the courage to talk to her and soon after they begin a secret affair. Although they both understand this is an incredible act of defiance and could lead to each of their deaths if they are caught, they make the choice to meet in the countryside and eventually a rented room above a shop owned by a Mr.Charrington. In the shop, Winston buys a clear crystal paperweight that has a piece of coral on the inside. Winston sees this as a physical representation of his and Julia’s relationship. “The paperweight was the room he was in, and the coral was Julia's life and his own, fixed in a sort of eternity at the heart of the crystal.” (Orwell 147) This is one of the first big symbolistic moves the author take with the story. Orwell is allowing the relationship and love felt between Winston and Julia to manifest itself in tangible ways. Other symbols of oppression and the struggle with memory are come to light through nursery rhymes and photographs Winston finds at work. It is important to mention that although there is newfound love and hope in the small between the two, the backdrop remains a cold oppressionist, totalitarian rule that spies and controls.
One aspect of the story, known as Doublethink, sticks out and remains constant throughout the novel. Winston constantly battles with truth and memory, because the society he lives in is one that required to control everyone. Doublethink and Doublespeak are ideas that find themselves at the helm of mental oppression in 1984. These ideas are layered on in the last half of the book so it is important to understand. The author introduces these idea to bring even more light onto the madness that oppression brings society. Doublespeak is defined as an obscure and euphemistic use of language and Doublethink is defined as the acceptance of certain beliefs that are contrary to your own as a result of indoctrination. In Orwell’s 1984, these are used politically to move the masses into conformity and acceptance. All of Winston’s acts of rebellion eventually lead him to the legend of the Brotherhood, an underground resistance to Big Brother.
He is lead to a man named O'Brien, who works at the Ministry of Truth. O’Brien gives him a book that describes the resistance’s questions and answers. He is floored to find there are no actual answers in the book. The same night, Mr. Charrington, the shop owner turns them in and they are lead to the Ministry of Love. Winston and Julia are arrested and find out that O’Brien is a member of the Thought Police and the Brotherhood is not real. Orwell built the tension in the novel through perpetuating an optimism and some complacency found in the
lovers. They are tortured in the Ministry of Love for several months. O’Brien spearhead Winston torture, but Winston remains held together. It is not until Winston is threatened with having starving rats, his biggest fear, caged to his face. This is the moment in the book where Orwell throws out the optimism and makes you face a stark reality: the human spirit can be broken and this is what breaks it. This climax, is in which Winston is forced to face fear over love, makes the point that communism, oppression and the systematic beating of the human spirit all wound together will take us here. Winston being distraught and filled with fear, yells at O’Brien telling him to do it to Julia. This is a shift in Winston's entire being. Soon after Winston and Julia are set free. They meet up accidentally one day while Winston is at a Cafe waiting for a new bulletin, looking tired, older and sad. They admit betrayal to one another hug, and leave. The idea of doublethink comes into play here as Winston finds himself writing 2+2=5 on the table. This moment speaks to the level of conformity found in him after leaving the Ministry of Love. Finally, the bulletin is shown and Oceania has won on the frontlines. Winston begins to cry and comes to a realization: he loves Big Brother. Here the author end the novel with the awful image of the broken mind, once aching and searching for freedom, submitting to the oppressor. In a literary criticism written by Edward Quinn, Orwell's intention with the last part of his novel is put to question. “The presumed answer is to demonstrate how the party can get inside individuals, to transform them in thought as well as in deed.” (Quinn 1) It is possible that the sharp turn Orwell decided to take with the plot blurred the stability of itself, but suppose it was also done to play to the reality of how oppressive governments work in relation to their citizens and the way they think. It is apparent that the entire piece functions on the idea of attacking and oppressing thoughts, but when Winston enters Room 101 and is broken by O'Brien's tactics it is the climax and utmost of attacks. The uneasy feeling of reading Winston’s mind being broken and self submitted to Big Brother leads you to a reality rather than an average ending of hope, the sight of which seemed probable through some slight optimism Winston and Julia’s relationship might have represented. George Orwell’s 1984 remains a relevant and powerful novel that assess the reality of oppression.
Through unapologetic wit, irony and, morbidity, 1984 is able to drag us from the comfort of our modern day couches and lattes and take us to what could be turning into our world. A world of backwards thinking, corruption, and lies fueled by the systematic and personal destruction of self. What you can take away from the novel, I can assume, is to remain vigilant, to fight against oppression, for freedom and the human spirit or face the consequences. Seen by many as a cautionary tale and a wake up call for others, 1984 is a reality that some have faced. Orwell understood the struggles and evil that one faces under communist or totalitarian rule and chose to utilize his talents and mastery of symbolism, imagery, and diction to show the true face of those oppressionist forms of
government.