Christina McCormack

Mrs. Elmore
ENGL 207
6 October 2014
Session 7: Novel Essay
1984 is a novel written in about totalitarianism; it makes readers live through
totalitarianism. The story takes place in what was once Great Britain, now named Oceania and
following World War II is now entirely controlled by the government, commonly referred to as
Big Brother or The Party. The Party controls everything the past, the present, and the future
by controlling historical records, language, and even thoughts. The journey of the protagonist,
Winston Smith, starts with his absolute hate and rejection of The Party and ends with his
unwavering love for Big Brother (298). Winston's personal rebellion against Big Brother turns
out to be merely a ploy by the inner party of Big Brother to completely crush his individual spirit
and transform him into a brainwashed, unthinking zombie who will believe whatever the party
tells him. In the end they succeed in this. The continued slogan of The Party throughout the novel
is WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH. (4). Unlimited
power proves dangerous to a society, as proven in the novel 1984, because it causes social
manipulation through war, reduces civil liberties through ignorance and eliminates personal
freedoms.
Big Brother creates social manipulation through war by contriving a war between three
Superpowers run by totalitarian regimes that have carved the entire world up among themselves.
The Party creates a two minute program that is televised daily called The Hate. The Hate is
programmed to keep citizens of Oceania in constant fear and loathing of anyone opposed to The

Party, domestic and foreign. The character Emmanuel Goldstein, also known as The Enemy of
the People, is always the principal figure during The Hate (12). Goldstein was the commander
of a vast shawdowy army, an underground network of conspirators dedicated to the overthrow of
the State (13).
Big Brother reduces civil liberties through ignorance through constant brainwashing. The
Party is systematically trying to control both the minds of its citizens and their ability to perceive
truth, through propaganda, constant surveillance of its citizens, Thought Police and the invention
of a new language. The living conditions within the State are dilapidated, but the citizens do not
know better. Classism exists everywhere, and different classes generally do not socialize with
each other. As for the future of civil liberties, "If you want a vision of the future," says O`Brien,
"imagine a boot stomping on a human face forever" (262).
Big Brother eliminates personal freedoms through many varieties of brainwashing.
Morning group exercises are mandatory. The Party demands that all loyalty created in private be
severed, and that the only acceptable loyalty is loyalty to the Party. The Party condemns sex. The
Party recognizes no concept of a family other than the collective family under rule by the Party.
The Party tortures and vaporizes those who harbor rebellious thoughts. To reject the evidence of
your eyes and ears (81) seems to be the essential command of the party.
The Party wants power for its own sake. 1984 demonstrates that totalitarianism is a
devastating political agenda, because it is necessarily dependent upon fear, classism, and
physical torture. Without these elements, the Party would have no power. Social manipulation
through engaging war, reducing civil liberties through ignorance and eliminating personal
freedoms creates unlimited power dangerous to a society, as proven in the novel 1984.