1984 (2536 words)

1984Jean-Marie Lauria
Professor Rednour
Western Enlightenment
April 20, 2001
Tyrants, Communism, Big Brother, Stalin, and 1984
In George Orwell’s, ?1984?, no individual freedoms are present. It mirrors mid twentieth century Europe during World War II and its affects. Winston the main character who is a 39-year-old man, was neither remarkable in intelligence nor character, but is disgusted with the world he lives in. He works in the Ministry of Truth, where history and the truth are rewritten to fit the party’s beliefs. This is an example of the use of propaganda to fit the need of the government during World War Two. Winston is aware of the falsehoods, because it is his job to make them true. Causing him to be very disheartened with the government of Oceania, where Big Brother, a larger than life figure who controls the people of the country.
Winston’s dissatisfaction causes him to rebel against the government in small ways. His first act of rebelling was buying and writing in a diary. This act is considered to be a ?thought crime,? and is punishable by death. A ?thought crime? is any thought that goes against the Oceania government. Winston commits many thought crimes, and becomes paranoid about being caught. He believes it was to be expected, and becomes worried because a young woman who is actively involved in many community groups follows him.
Winston is fixated with the past, looking back on a time when Oceania was free of this authoritarian dictatorship. It is made apparent when he goes into an antique shop and buys a shell covered in glass. This too was a crime punishable by death. He sees the same woman following him. Many thoughts race through his mind, I wanted to rape you and then murder you afterwards. Two weeks ago I thought seriously of smashing your head in with a cobblestone. If you really want to know, I imagined that you had something to do with the Thought Police (Orwell 101). The girl who was following him slipped him a note when he was working. The note said, I love you(Orwell 90). They make plans to meet each other, and carried on an illegal love affair. This love affair is another example of rebellion against the government. It goes on for some time. Winston rents a room where he and Julia can be secluded from the ?utopian? community called Oceania.
They meet a man named O’Brien who reveals that he too is a revolutionary. Winston and Julia go to his house to meet with him. O’Brien gives them a treasonable book to read. Soon after it was given to them the Thought Police caught them. Leading to them unable to see each other again. O’Brien becomes Winston’s rehabilitator and torturer for the next 9 months. O’Brien tortures Winston in stages. The first two stages are to force the party’s beliefs on him, and then learn and understand what is expected of him. In the third stage, Winston is made to face what he secretly fears most, rats eating his face.
After being completely rehabilitated by O’Brien, Winston now loves the establishment and the government. He is set free. Big Brother is the head of a government, which has total control over the people of Oceania. The Big Brother regime uses propaganda to puts fear in the minds of its citizens, in order to keep the people of Oceania in line and under their ?control.? ?Big Brother is watching you,?(Orwell 5) is just an example of one of the many party slogans, which puts fear in minds of its citizens.
O’Brien is an informer for Big Brother, he is not who he appears to be to Winston. Who believes he is a fellow conspirator, but who in reality becomes Winston’s torturer and ?rehabilitator.? Neither O’Brien nor the party can tolerate Winston’s betrayal of the government. O’Brien tells his victim, ?You are a flaw in the pattern, Winston. You are a stain that must be wiped out…It is intolerable that an erroneous thought should exist anywhere in the world, however secret and powerless it may be.? The party can’t understand his disbelief, and believes that they must change his thoughts through torture and brainwashing. You will be hollow. We