It ends in a stalemate. Nothing in Oceania changes because of Winston's actions. The dictatorship of Big Brother has prevailed and Winston is now a willing subject. He does not question anything the Party says. He trusts them and them alone. Any memory he has that contradicts Party ideology is a false memory. The Party rule continues on. The future is devoid of hope. Nothing will change because the Party is absolute. Change is a hopeless ideal.
The novel, 1984, ends unhappily. All Winston's efforts for rebellion and change have resulted in nothing. Oceania is still ruled by the totalitarian dictator, Big Brother. Winston had big ideas about a society that was fair an equal and these ideas did not manifest. Rather, the Party consolidated its power as well as losing an opponent. Winston was brainwashed and now is a loyal Party devotee, ending the novel in an unlikely way. The conflict was not resolved in the traditional, happier-than-before way. The problems that were present in the beginning of the novel remain. The Party is ruling unjustly, without reason, and in their own interest. Nothing has been improved by Winston's actions. There is no hope in the future. Rebellion is slowly being eliminated and the Party will probably rule forever. This ending demonstrates that when society gives too much power to their government, there is a point of no return. Their power will only grow. The hope for a better future died with Winston. He is now a tool of the Party.
Winston ends up freed from the Ministry of Love but not the same as when he entered. He now doesn't think for himself and will willingly believe anything the Party spews. He feels no loyalty to anyone but the Party. He trusts their announcements and actually looks forward to them. The hope for an improved future died in Winston while he was being tortured by O'Brien. No change will happen now. The future is hopeless.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
The Betrayal
Winston has committed the unthinkable. He has betrayed Julia in the one way he thought impossible. He sells her out to save himself. Winston's love for Julia did not survive the tests and torture of the Party. O'Brien finally won. Winston repented on his feelings towards Julia. Winston and Julia, during their rebellion against the Party, felt that the Party would never win because nothing the Party did would change how they felt. They were wrong. The contents of Room 101 and the fear it instilled had that power.
Winston and Julia loved each other deeply. During the course of their rebellion they felt that nothing would ever change that. The Party did not have that power. During the preliminary stages of his capture, Winston continued to believe that. He was subjected to torture, mentally and physically and still he held fast to his feelings. This did not satisfy O'Brien and the Party. Winston had to become a complete and utter slave to the Party causes. This meant that it was necessary that he feel no connection to Julia. Enter Room 101, the ultimate torture. Winston has to face his biggest fear, rats. He betrays Julia, telling O'Brien that he would rather she be eaten alive than himself. He wants to live more than he loves Julia. Facing his irrational fear of rats forced him to do things he would never have previously considered. Fear is a driving force in humans. People can do things they never imagined when faced with terrifying experiences. When people are attacked or assaulted, it happens that someone can fight with unknown strength against their assailant. The same happened in Winston's situation. His fear or rats made him betray Julia, the one thing he said would never happen. Winston never saw it coming. He lost the war against the Party with the betrayal of Julia to save himself.
Winston betrays Julia, forsaking her to protect himself. This is what O'Brien and the Party want, for every person to feel no loyalty to anyone except the Party. As long as Winston loved Julia this was an impossible ideal. They needed Winston to sacrifice this one stronghold and he did. Room 101 and its contents forced Winston to betray Julia, submitting himself to the will of the Party. His loyalty to Julia was finally destroyed and the Party won its battle.
Winston and Julia loved each other deeply. During the course of their rebellion they felt that nothing would ever change that. The Party did not have that power. During the preliminary stages of his capture, Winston continued to believe that. He was subjected to torture, mentally and physically and still he held fast to his feelings. This did not satisfy O'Brien and the Party. Winston had to become a complete and utter slave to the Party causes. This meant that it was necessary that he feel no connection to Julia. Enter Room 101, the ultimate torture. Winston has to face his biggest fear, rats. He betrays Julia, telling O'Brien that he would rather she be eaten alive than himself. He wants to live more than he loves Julia. Facing his irrational fear of rats forced him to do things he would never have previously considered. Fear is a driving force in humans. People can do things they never imagined when faced with terrifying experiences. When people are attacked or assaulted, it happens that someone can fight with unknown strength against their assailant. The same happened in Winston's situation. His fear or rats made him betray Julia, the one thing he said would never happen. Winston never saw it coming. He lost the war against the Party with the betrayal of Julia to save himself.
Winston betrays Julia, forsaking her to protect himself. This is what O'Brien and the Party want, for every person to feel no loyalty to anyone except the Party. As long as Winston loved Julia this was an impossible ideal. They needed Winston to sacrifice this one stronghold and he did. Room 101 and its contents forced Winston to betray Julia, submitting himself to the will of the Party. His loyalty to Julia was finally destroyed and the Party won its battle.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Memory
What is real? What makes something real? History exists because of records and memories but if those are both altered then what used to be reality is imaginary. This is the argument O'Brien poses to Winston. This is the Party mentality. They control the records as well as people's memories so they control reality. There's no way to prove the existence of something if there is no recollection of its occurrence. O'Brien convinced Winston that this is true. Anything can be changed if no one and nothing can prove it once was different. Two plus two can equal five if the Party wants it to. Reality is subjective and open to interpretation.
The Party manipulates the truth to maintain their absolute power. They have gained power over the only thing that has troubled absolutist governments in the past: the minds of their people. There is nothing that can oppose them now. Any rebellions are quickly paved over and the participants re-educated. This power over the memories allows the government to control the past, something never done successfully before. The Stalinist government in Russia tried to control history by re-writing it but they had no control over people's memories. This was their weakness. It is in this area that Ingsoc claims the most superiority over previous dictatorships. They have control over the memories and thoughts of their people. Thus they have complete control. The people of Oceania have no hope for uprising. The Party has conquered their last defence. Without control of their memory, it makes it impossible for people who do remember a different time to act. They are quickly found and re-educated. The number of potential rebels is diminishing. They are an endangered few. The Party has won the aged battle over maintaining an absolutist government.
Memories are something taken for granted. Your personal knowledge of the past makes you a person, someone with thought, substance and emotion. This is not what the Party wants. They want mindless drones, obeying every command. Thus they re-educate you, slowly eradicating any thoughts while consolidating their power. What is considered reality is relative. It is based on opinions and is subjected to the beholder. The Party wants one idea, their idea, to be reality. They achieve this artificially through the manipulation of documents and memories. They control reality and thus control everything: the past, the present and the future. No person is safe from the Party's brainwashing.
The Party manipulates the truth to maintain their absolute power. They have gained power over the only thing that has troubled absolutist governments in the past: the minds of their people. There is nothing that can oppose them now. Any rebellions are quickly paved over and the participants re-educated. This power over the memories allows the government to control the past, something never done successfully before. The Stalinist government in Russia tried to control history by re-writing it but they had no control over people's memories. This was their weakness. It is in this area that Ingsoc claims the most superiority over previous dictatorships. They have control over the memories and thoughts of their people. Thus they have complete control. The people of Oceania have no hope for uprising. The Party has conquered their last defence. Without control of their memory, it makes it impossible for people who do remember a different time to act. They are quickly found and re-educated. The number of potential rebels is diminishing. They are an endangered few. The Party has won the aged battle over maintaining an absolutist government.
Memories are something taken for granted. Your personal knowledge of the past makes you a person, someone with thought, substance and emotion. This is not what the Party wants. They want mindless drones, obeying every command. Thus they re-educate you, slowly eradicating any thoughts while consolidating their power. What is considered reality is relative. It is based on opinions and is subjected to the beholder. The Party wants one idea, their idea, to be reality. They achieve this artificially through the manipulation of documents and memories. They control reality and thus control everything: the past, the present and the future. No person is safe from the Party's brainwashing.
Blame
Imagine having to be saved from yourself. Your thoughts and opinions are wrong and must be fixed. This is how the Party manipulates the prisoners in the Ministry of Love. They must be re-educated and saved from their current selves. People are the cause of their own suffering. Winston has finally been caught by the thought police and is going through the long, grueling process of re-education. "I shall save you, I shall make you perfect,"(page 256) O'Brien explains to him. The party believes that there is something wrong with the 'criminals' they bring in to make them commit this 'treason'. Their personality and character is wrong and must be corrected.
The idea that people are the cause of their own suffering is not new and actually true. Your own actions directly affect your own life. Therefore you can attribute some of your suffering to yourself. The Party has manipulated this idea. They believe everything that is wrong with you is your fault. It’s all attributed to the one person. This is how they justify the torture they enact upon you when you commit 'treason' against the Party. It was you, and only you that made you do what you did. It has nothing to do with the corrupt rule of the Party. It has nothing to do with the people you meet and their influence on your thoughts. It's your own fault. This is where they find their criminals. The people who believe that there are other forces, along with themselves, that make them act and think the way they do. Winston believes the corrupt rule of the Party contributes to his crime. If they had been ruling justly and fairly, he wouldn't have felt the need to rebel. This is why the Party must re-educate him. He is still under the 'false' impression that the Party shares blame for what he did. By doing something about his feeling towards the party, Winston brought about his own suffering, but also the Party shares some blame. This is what differentiates Winston from the rest of the Party members. He doesn't share the same ideology about blame. He still wants to blame the Party.
Suffering is inevitable. Every person suffers a bit in their life. The Party is of the ideology that suffering is attributed solely to the individual. In actuality, this is not true. People as well as their environment can cause suffering. The Party needs to re-educate people so that they commit to the Party ideology. Torture and verbal abuse is used. They need the person to really believe that they are the reason this is happening to them. There is something wrong with them and they need to be corrected.
The idea that people are the cause of their own suffering is not new and actually true. Your own actions directly affect your own life. Therefore you can attribute some of your suffering to yourself. The Party has manipulated this idea. They believe everything that is wrong with you is your fault. It’s all attributed to the one person. This is how they justify the torture they enact upon you when you commit 'treason' against the Party. It was you, and only you that made you do what you did. It has nothing to do with the corrupt rule of the Party. It has nothing to do with the people you meet and their influence on your thoughts. It's your own fault. This is where they find their criminals. The people who believe that there are other forces, along with themselves, that make them act and think the way they do. Winston believes the corrupt rule of the Party contributes to his crime. If they had been ruling justly and fairly, he wouldn't have felt the need to rebel. This is why the Party must re-educate him. He is still under the 'false' impression that the Party shares blame for what he did. By doing something about his feeling towards the party, Winston brought about his own suffering, but also the Party shares some blame. This is what differentiates Winston from the rest of the Party members. He doesn't share the same ideology about blame. He still wants to blame the Party.
Suffering is inevitable. Every person suffers a bit in their life. The Party is of the ideology that suffering is attributed solely to the individual. In actuality, this is not true. People as well as their environment can cause suffering. The Party needs to re-educate people so that they commit to the Party ideology. Torture and verbal abuse is used. They need the person to really believe that they are the reason this is happening to them. There is something wrong with them and they need to be corrected.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
The Surprise Plot Twist
The haunting voice echoes them when they think they are alone. "You are the dead." (page 230) Winston and Julia are shocked. They are not alone as they had presumed. There is a telescreen behind the painting. They have most certainly met their end. One of the very few they have let into their secret has betrayed their trust in a shocking plot twist. The least likely person, the prole who has no position in society or a supposed care in the Party, is a member of the thought police. Mr Charrington has turned them in. It seems that in literature and film, the most shocking scenario is the most common. It serves the theme well in 1984.
Infiltrating the proles with Party members is a clever way of increasing and consolidating the Party. Seeing the proles as potential enemies is not an easy thought. They are nobodies. People don't care much for them. They are the outcasts of society and thus they are often not thought about as a formidable foe. Therefore the shock of the Prole, Mr. Charrington, being a member of the thought police is even more acute. They are the least likely candidate for political espionage because as a class they have little political power. Orwel uses this unexpected twist to effectively convey the theme of a society where the government has been corrupted by power. The government can do anything, even infiltrate the most unlikely corners of society, if they desire to do so. Winston had been so careful in judging Party members, trying to determine if they were members of the thought police. The most unlikely person, someone Winston was unguarded against, ended up being that person Winston was trying so hard to avoid. This plot twist parallels the surprise the reader feels towards the society in 1984. It is so contradictory to what is considered respectable in modern western civilization.
Winston and Julia were shocked to hear that creepy, iron voice speaking from behind the painting and even more shocked to discover Mr. Charrington was behind their capture. This surprise ending to part two, the betrayal of the couple to the Party, has ended the blissful portion of their relationship. They are now going to be subjected to torture, re-education, and the death of their lives as they know it. All of this will happen because of the actions of an unexpected enemy.
Infiltrating the proles with Party members is a clever way of increasing and consolidating the Party. Seeing the proles as potential enemies is not an easy thought. They are nobodies. People don't care much for them. They are the outcasts of society and thus they are often not thought about as a formidable foe. Therefore the shock of the Prole, Mr. Charrington, being a member of the thought police is even more acute. They are the least likely candidate for political espionage because as a class they have little political power. Orwel uses this unexpected twist to effectively convey the theme of a society where the government has been corrupted by power. The government can do anything, even infiltrate the most unlikely corners of society, if they desire to do so. Winston had been so careful in judging Party members, trying to determine if they were members of the thought police. The most unlikely person, someone Winston was unguarded against, ended up being that person Winston was trying so hard to avoid. This plot twist parallels the surprise the reader feels towards the society in 1984. It is so contradictory to what is considered respectable in modern western civilization.
Winston and Julia were shocked to hear that creepy, iron voice speaking from behind the painting and even more shocked to discover Mr. Charrington was behind their capture. This surprise ending to part two, the betrayal of the couple to the Party, has ended the blissful portion of their relationship. They are now going to be subjected to torture, re-education, and the death of their lives as they know it. All of this will happen because of the actions of an unexpected enemy.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Necessity of War
Winston has finally received "The Book", Emmanuel Goldstein's book, the doctrine of the Brotherhood, The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism. He can finally find out why the world has become the way it is. But that's not what happens. Winston's expectation of a book that explains why the world needs help and how to help it does not manifest itself. It just reiterates what he already knows: the world in which they live is corrupt and unjust. The Party has absolute control and maintains their power by oppressing the masses through the Party slogans.
The chapters of Goldstein's book, The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism, are titled after the Party slogans, the first being "War is Peace". War is a necessity to the society in Oceania. War brings out a sense of Nationalism within the populace of a country. Hitler used Nationalism to come to power in Germany, and Big Brother uses this to maintain power. In a state of war, people feel a desire to have a strong leader, someone who can protect them. The wars in the world of 1984 are used for the purpose of maintaining a strong leadership. All three super-powers require this to maintain their government. War is a necessity to the maintenance of a totalitarian dictatorship. If there isn't an enemy who is making the lives of the people miserable, why are they living that way? The constant war is an enabling force of the Party.
Winston receives The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism expecting answers. He doesn't get them. The book just reproduces what he already knows: the Party is maintaining a totalitarian government by oppressing the masses with the slogans. Winston went in expecting a plan from Emmanuel Goldstein, but there is no plan to remove the Party. The Brotherhood has no strategic plan but only the promotion of acts opposing the Party's rule.
The chapters of Goldstein's book, The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism, are titled after the Party slogans, the first being "War is Peace". War is a necessity to the society in Oceania. War brings out a sense of Nationalism within the populace of a country. Hitler used Nationalism to come to power in Germany, and Big Brother uses this to maintain power. In a state of war, people feel a desire to have a strong leader, someone who can protect them. The wars in the world of 1984 are used for the purpose of maintaining a strong leadership. All three super-powers require this to maintain their government. War is a necessity to the maintenance of a totalitarian dictatorship. If there isn't an enemy who is making the lives of the people miserable, why are they living that way? The constant war is an enabling force of the Party.
Winston receives The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism expecting answers. He doesn't get them. The book just reproduces what he already knows: the Party is maintaining a totalitarian government by oppressing the masses with the slogans. Winston went in expecting a plan from Emmanuel Goldstein, but there is no plan to remove the Party. The Brotherhood has no strategic plan but only the promotion of acts opposing the Party's rule.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Children in 1984
Big Brother and the Party's rule of Oceania are having a drastic affect on the children in society. Winston had blocked out the memories from his childhood. He did not remember the day his mother disappeared until a dream kindled its return. Hunger had plagued the days prior to the strict regulation of the Party. Most of the population was going hungry. The last time he saw his mother, he was being a selfish brute. He denied his sick, baby sister food because he wanted it all. He felt that he deserved the chocolate more and took it from his sister's hands and ran off. He never saw his sister or mother again.
The children of Oceania in 1984 are just as self-serving if not more self-serving as Winston was that day. All actions are made for their own survival or the glorification of the party. It is an honour to be a part of the Youth League or the Spies. These children would be happy to turn in their own parents, the people who raised them, if they were doing anything a little unorthodox. Children have lost almost all loyalty and compassion. The Party sees it better that way. This way they become devout followers of the Party platforms. They are good Party members who do nothing wrong. It's easy to brainwash a child because their ideas are not fully developed. They are susceptible to the influence of their environment. They are growing up in an environment where loyalty to no one but the Party is glorified. Naturally, they would want to become a rewarded citizen. Winston, as a child, also exhibited some of these qualities, but the disappearance of his mother probably changed him. A child losing their parent wouldn't understand that it wasn't their fault until they were grown. As far as he knew, it was because he wouldn't share the chocolate. He still felt some loyalty to his family. In 1984, the children seem to have lost this loyalty. This idea of the perfect Party member that Big Brother is promoting could become the Party's undoing.
The Party is promoting no love or loyalty for any other human. If the world continues in this direction, why would anyone want to get married? If you are not supposed to care for anyone else, why would you want to have sex? Why would you want to have children? It might be your "duty to the party" (page 139) but it can also be someone else's duty. It's hard to convince someone to do something they have absolutely no desire to do. People fear their own children. They will most likely be the ones who turn you in. Why take that risk? Even if you are a devout Party member, the smallest thing could send you to the Ministry of Love, to your death.
Children are becoming drones of the Party. They don't have any loyalty to anyone but the party. They are an easy demographic to manipulate as their opinions and ideas are not developed. The environment can influence them to become whatever the Party wants. Programs like the Youth League and the Spies promote the development of good Party members. Winston was spared losing the characteristics of loyalty, love and compassion but as each generation ages, they lose these characteristics.
The children of Oceania in 1984 are just as self-serving if not more self-serving as Winston was that day. All actions are made for their own survival or the glorification of the party. It is an honour to be a part of the Youth League or the Spies. These children would be happy to turn in their own parents, the people who raised them, if they were doing anything a little unorthodox. Children have lost almost all loyalty and compassion. The Party sees it better that way. This way they become devout followers of the Party platforms. They are good Party members who do nothing wrong. It's easy to brainwash a child because their ideas are not fully developed. They are susceptible to the influence of their environment. They are growing up in an environment where loyalty to no one but the Party is glorified. Naturally, they would want to become a rewarded citizen. Winston, as a child, also exhibited some of these qualities, but the disappearance of his mother probably changed him. A child losing their parent wouldn't understand that it wasn't their fault until they were grown. As far as he knew, it was because he wouldn't share the chocolate. He still felt some loyalty to his family. In 1984, the children seem to have lost this loyalty. This idea of the perfect Party member that Big Brother is promoting could become the Party's undoing.
The Party is promoting no love or loyalty for any other human. If the world continues in this direction, why would anyone want to get married? If you are not supposed to care for anyone else, why would you want to have sex? Why would you want to have children? It might be your "duty to the party" (page 139) but it can also be someone else's duty. It's hard to convince someone to do something they have absolutely no desire to do. People fear their own children. They will most likely be the ones who turn you in. Why take that risk? Even if you are a devout Party member, the smallest thing could send you to the Ministry of Love, to your death.
Children are becoming drones of the Party. They don't have any loyalty to anyone but the party. They are an easy demographic to manipulate as their opinions and ideas are not developed. The environment can influence them to become whatever the Party wants. Programs like the Youth League and the Spies promote the development of good Party members. Winston was spared losing the characteristics of loyalty, love and compassion but as each generation ages, they lose these characteristics.
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