1984 - George Orwell
Syllabus Terminology
Anomaly - a deviation from a common form - abnormal - Winston’s approach of life
Paradox - a statement which is contradictory yet expresses a truth - O’Brien’s duplicitous nature from a friend of Winston to a man yearning for control - Also the Ministry Names - built on Paradox
Inconsistencies - lacking in harmony between different parts - Julia conforming to society in the
Two minutes hate - the constant change of war - demonstrates the constant threat to society &
security which the Proles are prone to - reason for protection from the paty
Individual & Collective Human Experiences
Human Quality & Emotions - Behaviours & Motivations
Assumptions & Challenge of Beliefs
Purpose
Style
Structure
Context - due to the rise of Stalin, Nazism & Totalitarian war - a dystopian nightmare was
established
Themes
Dangers of Totalitarianism
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Orwell witnessed the lengths at which governments would go to in order to assert their
dominance over an individual
He uses 1984 as a vessel to alarm the Western culture of regarding the dangers of
Communism - by seeing the rise of Stalin, Hitler etc
Orwell was disturbed with the widespread oppression which he observed in communist
countries & he decided to portray a totalitarian regime in 1984
Using Winston Smith as a timidly, rebellious character to provide a discovery on how the
party truly control their section of the planet
The Party exercise their control over the existence of Oceania, not only sexually but also
through the monitoring of people through Telescreens & the subversion of history through
the Ministry of Truth - “War is Peace”
Psychological Manipulation
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The party barrage their subjects with psychological stimuli to overwhelm their minds
capacity to think of do
Constant propaganda “big brother is watching you” - constant scrutinance
They also manipulate the children of the family to act as “Junior Spies” where a sense of
hopelessness and deprivation of one’s self occurs - the family structure is paradoxical due to
the fear inflicted by the children onto the parents - demonstrates a stark contrast in human
lives
Suppression of sexual desires occurs where the individuals are made to believe that their
human desires, what makes them individuals, are only a means of supporting the party
Leads to the isolation
The oxymoronic Triplings of “War is peace & Freedom is slavery” - confronts reason but the
verbal irony reinforces the regime’s grip on power
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The use of propaganda distorts the minds of individuals in Oceania - Winston’s Job at the
Ministry of Truth is to alter historical facts & propagate them through the country
This is further expressed in the two minutes hate and with mottos of BB is watching you
Physical Control
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The party manipulate the minds of Oceania’s citizens - whereby they observe any change in
an individual, eg a twitching face
The use of technology by the party are fearsome & inflict torture upon those is deems
enemies - it is perceived as working toward the moral good however facilitates the most
diabolical evil
They condition individuals with physical torture so people who oppose what ‘the party’
believes end up succumbing to the torture that is false reality - “ 2+2=5” which Winston
finally believes in
The use of the Rhetoric “How do we know that two and two make four?” - Only winston
truly believes that the party has successfully succeeded in his mind control - he cannot rebel
against the Party
Language as Mind Control - Individual & Collective Experience
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Through ‘Newspeak’ the party asserts dominance over the ‘Proles’
The use of words such as Newspeak, doublethink & Ingsoc are able to control the masses eg in Ministry of Truth, they use these techniques to rewrite history & distort facts which the
public consume
Newspeak is the ‘new’ language which eradicates history and redefines the human
conception of life by removing words which harm the image of the party or ‘Big Brother’
The use of linguistic decay eradicates a medium which individuals can use to express &
evaluate themselves, eg by controlling individuals the party succeeds in in mind control
This is further expressed through the sordid imagery of “We’re destroying words...We’re
cutting the language down to the bone”
If they cannot express their anger or know of bad words, they cannot relate to the party nor
think of rebellion
Independence and identity - Individual & Collective Human Experience
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Winston manifests the notion of a lacking identity or independence - he does not know his
age, his marital status, the whereabouts of his relatives - he cannot even trust his own
memory
All party members drink the same ‘Victory Gin’, smoke the same cigarettes - acting as one
rather than individuals - subconsciously removing their identity
The uniformity in food, clothes & what people hear are all catalysts to the reduction of
independence and identity in Oceania
His decision to purchase a diary & write his thoughts is an attempt to create memory &
history in a world void of purpose - “He was a lonely ghost uttering a truth”
His paperweight is purchased by his desire to have something which represents a time
before the party, a time before there is constant turmoil inflicted in the world
Humans are being rendered obsolete & the identity
Rebellion
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Everything in Winston’s environment promotes a full acceptance of Party dogma, but his
ministry work exacerbates his dissatisfaction with life & the sense that his individuality &
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humanity i s slowly being stripped away
Keeping a diary is dangerous however he believes that transferring his thoughts to paper will
act as a physical expression of his hatred towards the state - he has been trapped in an
interminable restless monologue his entire life
For him to think & also write - it allows him to retain a sense of his stripped individuality &
also some lost remnants of humanity (making him feel more than another piece of the
puzzle)
Winston exhibits an intrinsic compassion for the world when compared to other members,
eg Syme - it is starkly juxtaposed with a savage & morose torture which Winston is bestowed
upon - this being a catalyst as to why he wants to rebel in the first place
Julia mirrors Winston’s rebellious attitudes however she does this in order to gain sexual
freedom & feel like a young woman - she also mentions that the Ministry is aiming to
“abolish the orgasm” further expressing the dehumanization from the party, leading to the
question, what is the use of pleasure if it only leads to procreation
Eg. escape to the golden country + diary + room above charrington’s shop
Represents W&J desperation for a world where genuine human qualities and emotions are
expressed without ramifications
Julia’s delight and euphoria in removing the clothes and her belt from the “junior anti-sex
league” reflects not only an escape from the monotony of the party, but the longing of such
an action in a bleak, challenging world.
Benefits of one’s search for a better experience is expressed in “the air seemed to kiss one’s
skin” with the Golden Country serving as a stark contrast to Airstrip one → Even the
characteristics of the earth such as air, is not polluted with smoke from rocket bombs, nor
the party’s despicable authority → a metaphor which highlights rebellion as an essential tool
in achieving peace.
Aims to fight of a life that is worthwhile and enjoyable
Memory →
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Eg. Winston’s dreams of his mother + recollection of Katherine
Memory prompts self-evaluation and the use of one’s conscience, which displays the value of
independent thought → a beacon of individuality
This self-evaluation draws individuals closer with their inner emotions and the past,
something that the party despises → the ability to learn from the past unlocks the
motivation for rebelling against the party in future, perhaps why there is such a persistence
from the party on attempting to control “the three cubic centimeters inside your skull”,
despite the sisyphean nature of the party, as they can never truly do that
Memory serves to illuminate the value of complex human relationships and emotions
Family → Eg. Parson family
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The breakdown of the family unit and friendships have contributed to this sick reality where
no innocence remains, leaving trust a mere thing of the past.
Children assume control, given that these “tiger-cubs” have usurped the authority of
parental figures as a result of the Inner Party and their ways of exercising control
Preconceived ideals of family have been corrupted by the Party, leaving parents not as caregivers, but rather subjects of their offspring living in fear of Thoughtcrime or Facecime.
The fact that Mr. Parson’s is “proud” of his daughter for snitching displays the hopelessness
of those (ironically) holding experience, illuminating the extent of the vicious cycle the party
has established where growth is substituted for submission.
Symbols
Big Brother
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Winston see’s posters of a man who is constantly supervising his people “big brother is
watching you”
The citizens believe that he is the leader of the party however Winston can never determine
what he believes - whether he is the leader or whether he truly exists
BB symbolises the Party as a public manifestation - His name Big Brother is anomalous
because a big brother is someone who protects & guides those in the right direction
however BB is a threat as no one can escape his gaze
Additionally, he symbolises the vagueness of the Party & how they present themselves, that
being what it is like to be apart of the ‘Inner Party’ or what life is like for them - are they
stuck in eternal despair
The use of visual imagery & simile in “a helicopter skimmed between roofs, hovered for an
instant like a bluebottle” describes how they are living under a state of constant surveillance
& how there is no escape from the turmoil inflicted by the Party
The Glass Paperweight & St. Clement’s Church
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The party has erased all items or memorabilia which remind the citizens of ‘Airstrip 1’ of the
past, Winston vaguely understands this yet he is not truly certain until he attends Mr
Charrington’s Shop.
Winston purchases a paperweight which enables him to connect with the past for a final
chance, It contains everything which he strives for - love, protection, colour & a home - it
belongs somewhere with a purpose & Winston aims to epitomise this “The room has
awakened in him a sort of nostalgia, a sort of ancestral memory”
The paperweight symbolize his futile attempt to reconnect with his past to a time prior to the
Party’s reign “it’s a piece of history which they had forgotten to alter”
The metaphorical value outweighs it’s materialistic worth as it depicts a world which is a
place of refuge - it represents the fragileness of life & beauty of the untouched world
The place above Charrington’s Shop provides them with a place which allowed them “not to
stay alive but to stay human”
These symbols have no basis in reality anymore - the shattering of the Paperweight
demonstrates how Winston’s chance of recovering the past are slowly shattering
The painting of St Clement’s Church is yet again in the room of Mr Charrington’s Shop (a
room which acts as a physical manifestation of nostalgia) - starkly contrasted with “here
comes the chopper to chop off your head” - foreshadows the hidden, stark reality where he
is taken by the thought police & symbolises the corruptive nature of the Party - provides a
savage & authoritarian view of the destructive nature they can cause
A symbol of constant protection and security → Winston yearns for the safety of the coral,
almost envious of its lack of influence by the cruel policies enforced by the thought Police
and Inner Party.
Is a contrast of Airstrip one, as Winston can never be still, in the sense that he is content with
himself and doesn’t have to participate in the harsh routine of daily life, but instead must
always be compliant and willingly to assist the party, despite his resentment towards the
State.
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Also provides insight into the dire nature of Airstrip one, where Winston is surprised, yet
fascinated by the fact that an object from the past still exists, displaying the effectiveness of
the Party and their efficiency in removing any objects which provoke thought that is not
about Big Brother.
Place where there is no Darkness
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Winston imagines meeting O’Brien in “the place where there is no darkness”
He firstly imagines this place in his dream yet he ponders about it for the rest of the novel
Ironically when he meets O’Brien in the “place of no darkness” - it is not what he had
imagined - it was not a luxurious getaway - it was a bleak, stark cell where the light was
never turned off
It symbolises his fatalistic flaw - that he trusts O’Brien even though he has an idea that he is
an Inner Party Member
The foreshadowing of “the place where there is no darkness” symbolises Winston’s
ultimate, doomed fate - the place with no darkness is metaphorically the darkest &
gloomiest location - the world of Oceania further explored in “everything faded away into a
shadow-world”
The Red-Armed Prole Woman
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This is the woman which Winston hears singing whilst hanging up her washing - she is what
Winston desires the future to entail - that being a woman free of constraint & not wanting to
confine to society - her singing acts as a plight from the Proles - they are working together to
eventually overcome the Party & promote stability in the infamous Air-Strip 1
Winston envisages her birthing generations of children who will oppose the parties regime
Winston sees her as a symbol of freedom - ie the party members never sing but she is care
free & is willing to do so - “The proles had stayed human. They had not become hardened
inside”
The Diary
→ symbol of defiance which stresses the importance of emotional expression
- Shortage of punctuation reflect the build up and release of emotions and feeling that have
fostered within Winston, ultimately facilitating his personal rebellion
- The act of writing and Winston being able to write longer extracts, albeit it revealing of the
inhumane methods of indoctrination imposed by the party, displays the development of his
ability to articulate thoughts and progress towards becoming content with himself
- Speaking has become an ineffective act of expression, with the robotic nature of speech
highlighting the inability to differentiate between people with passion, and the mere
“swallowers of slogans”
Figures of the past → Eg. Charlemagne + Julius Cesar
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Used to mirror Winston’s predicament, and the difficulty of understanding what is true, and
what has been fabricated by the Inner Party
Charlemagne → his empire collapsed due to the inability of leaders to manage society
efficiently → mirrors Winstons situation, where the citizens of Airstrip one are victims of the
policies of the Inner Party, who willingly allow the collapse of human values and emotion in
order to ensure obedience and absolute control
Julius Cesar → was murdered during a senate meeting after wanting a better life for himself
→ parallels the death of Winston’s independence and individuality after room 101, where he
is merely left a withered efforgy of his former self and a compliant of the state.
The Chestnut Tree Cafe → Eg. Winston after R101 + Aaronson, Rutherford and Jones
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The cafe serves as a dungeon for those who have tried to elevate the standards of humanity,
yet have failed amidst the brutality of the party.
A cruel irony employed by Orwell → Chestnuts grow into a sweet, delicate object rich with
taste, yet the Party deprives people of the opportunity to grow as humans, replacing this
essential process with strict party procedures, ultimately separating humanity from any real
sense of feeling or emotion → Abrupt severing of mankind’s potential to be more than an
entity
The fact that all the individuals we are exposed to who prioritise the development of
mankind return to this mundane place, perhaps indicates that rebellion, although evidence
of the fighting human spirit, is merely redundant in the face of Big Brother and the Inner
Party
Characters
Winston
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Winston is the vessel which Orwell uses to demonstrate the harms of a totalitarian regime
on society
Winston Smith’s name is taken from Winston Churchill and Smith (the most common name)
which demonstrates his ordinary nature yet makes a valiant effort in extraordinary
circumstances
Although his life is filled with misery & pain, Orwell gifts him with love - through Julia’s
relationship & also his love to disobey the party
He represents the values of a civilised society - one of democracy, peace & freedom - when
he is transformed all of these values are destroyed as well
The way that he resists his stifling of his individuality & also resist the oppression
demonstrates the harsh, savage world which he lives within
Winston’s long reflections during the novel enable Orwell to orchestrate his main themes of
the psychological manipulation, social isolation and intimidation to the reader
He is rebellious & fatalistic - he wants to push the limits of the party by performing
thoughtcrimes, eg writing “Down with big brother” in his diary and also having an illegal love
affair with Julia - an act of rebellion which introspective recording is forbidden
Although he is hopeful, his downfall is due to his intense paranoia & belief that the party will
eventually catch and punish him
As soon as he writes down with big Brother - he is certain that the thought police will catch
him & lead to his doom
Winston also risks certain things such as befriending Charrington, O’Brien & Julia which all
lead to his downfall - “I understand how, I do not understand why”
He is aware that his ‘friends’ which he makes will increase the chances of his capture
however he continually instill a sense of false hope in himself because the Party have taken
everything away from him, the real hope
His relationship with Julia makes the reader reflect on the importance of human emotions
when compared to the Proles
O’Brien
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A man who acts inconsistently → he is the centralised metaphor of the Party’s mystery and
powerful manner
He represents the party of all the contradictions & cruelty which they provide
He is duplicitous and employs DoubleThink continuously - the Ministry of Love had gotten
him long ago
He tricks Winston into believing that he is in the groups called the “Brotherhood” - he
ironically appears later to abuse and brainwash Winston as a form of torture for going
against the Party’s commands
O’Brien openly un-develops through the duration of the novel whereby the reader knows
less about him
He states that “they got me long ago” showing that he may have been rebellious, only to be
tortured into passive acceptance of the party
The novel leaves O’Brien as a duplicitous man who is a shadowy, symbolic enigma of the
Party’s mysterious and obscure nature
O’Brien through torture is trying to save Winston & perfect him - if he would abide by the
Party’s requests he would not need to be made “ clean”
O’Brien’s world is completely juxtaposed with the world of Winston and Julia - potentially
wanting to be them
Mr Charrington
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He is the owner of the store where Winston purchases his blank note book from as well as
the Paperweight
Mr Charrington has the ability to recite London’s history as he contains relics from the time
before the Party
Above his shop, Winston & Julia use his room for their sexual endeavors - more acts of
thoughtcrime
Mr Charrington is a member of the Thought Police whereby his interactions with Winston are
contrary to what Orwell employs, eg he does not identify with Winston’s rebellious spirit,
however he is a manipulative agent who is a physical manifestation of the Party’s duplicitous,
mundane actions towards civilians who perform Thought Crime
“The kindly old avuncular man was the thought police”
Motifs
Doublethink
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It is the large scale manipulation which the party uses to control the individual’s capacity to
think & act - use of cognitive dissonance
This notion of doublethink is the idea that two contradictory statements can be held at the
same time - ie That they are at war with the enemy & then it shifts to war with the ally rather
than the enemy - a shift in diplomatic allegiance
Winston argues that the idea of doublethink offers “real power… over man” by making it
impossible to conceptualize a dissenting voice
Additionally the ideas of the Ministry of Love and the Ministry of Truth are encapsulated in
DoubleThink as the Ministry of Love is the centre of the Party’s operation of torture and
punishment & the Ministry of Truth conducts propagada & historical revisonism
Urban Decay
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The London which Winston depicts is dilapidated, rundown and morose where the buildings
are crumbling & the plumbing is unreliable
The rundown decay is a result of the Party’s incompetence to facilitate the needs of the
people - they are too busy caring about the 1% of the population ie the Inner Party rather
than managing needs such as poverty and malnutrition
The Golden Country
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It is a recurring motif of hope, a utopia & is a juxtaposition of Airstrip 1
It is Winston’s ideal world - where true desire & nature/beauty are uninterrupted by the
Chaos of Airstrip 1
It acts as an uncorrupted world - Ironic as it is his reimagined escape from a grey world
Demonstrates a sense of peace, tranquility & psychological freedom
Indoctrination through political manipulation
→ Eg. 2 minutes hate + Hate Week + Goldstein portrayal +
- Hatred is used to bring obedience and adherence to fruition, with the subjects of Airstrip 1
provided with a false sense of purpose/unity, which inadvertently and subconsciously grows
to consume their lives — a deliberate ploy by the party to maintain control
- Repetition of “same” when discussing party aims displays their totalitarian motivations
The majority
→ Eg. the inaction which plagues the proles
Paradox → the proles possess human emotion, yet are without power, while those in power
(party members) lack emotion → the inner party will never be able to replicate the familial
connection and joy that fills the lives of the proles, as evident in their ability to sing and
simply express their emotions and live in their enclaves of freedom secluded from the
hindrance of the state → The ironic “ ministries” which despite having a great number of
members, are bereft of knowledge of what “love”, “truth” or “peace” actually mean.
- Winston uses the proles and the hope they permeate as motivation for his own quest for
freedom and human connection
Foreshadowing
Winston’s Betrayal of Julia
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“Under the spreading chestnut tree, I sold you and you sold me. ” - Alludes to the cafe
where Winston sees Jones, Aaronson & Rutherford - prior to becoming ‘unpersons’ to the
Party
When Winston & Julia meet in room 101 - Winston is scared to confess that there is a secret
from the party - however Julia reassures him that the Party may make him to confess
however “the one thing that cannot do” is to make him stop loving her - This is ironic as this
foreshadows exactly what the Party does in the torture room - where he transforms his love
from Julia to the love to the Party
Winston’s Beating & Torture
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When Julia & Winston first meet one another in secret, a rat pokes is head into the room & it
foreshadows/symbolizes the notion that they are being watched - additionally alludes to the
use of rats in the final torture of Winston
Orwell employs “to rat someone out” foreshadowing the betrayal Winston does to Julia
Allusions
Religious
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“He would tie her naked to a stake & shoot her full of arrows like Saint Sebastian” alluding to the Christian Saint who was persecuted by the roman emperor for converting
Roman soldiers to Christianity
Literary
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“I think I exist” - allusion to philosopher Rene Descartes quote - “I think, therefore I am”
These allusions are a message about the importance of language & literature in shaping
society & also the complexities of the human predicament
Thesis Ideas
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The stripping of individuality & the deliberate curtailment of any rich & meaningful human
existence leads to isolation & deprivation
The human condition is essential to live a meaningful life
1984 enables readers to reflect on their own world & experiences, enabling them to find an
enriched perspective of life
When our human needs are not met, it compromises & limits our individual potential
The Ability to progress and grow as human beings is central to the human experience
Without Hope & desire, the soul is crushed & we are left as withered effigies of our former
selves
Social structures where oligarchs undermine individual autonomy and stifle expression for
their own benefit carry the potential to construct the identity of the powerless whilst
distorting perception.
A priori knowledge is knowledge that exists independent of the denials of the powerful, that
is intrinsic or inherent to the individual, and thus beyond the reach of manipulation.
Time and place is a pervasive binary that manipulates the individual experience, isolating
them from any meaning of purpose