Nineteen Eighty-Four
Understanding the characters,
themes, context and ideas
presented in George Orwell’s
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Background Understanding
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George Orwell
The Spanish Civil War
The Russian Revolution
English Socialism
Publication and reception context
The world of 1984
George Orwell, aka Eric Blair
• Eric Blair, who wrote under the pen-name George Orwell, was born in 1903 in
Bengal, India
• After education in England and working for the Indian Imperial Police in
Burma (resigning in 1927), he spent time drifting around working on the
poverty line while formulating ideas about politics.
• He became a socialist, yet an independent thinker
• He fought in the Spanish Civil War and reported on the events. Due to injury
he was unable to fight in WWII.
• He was a patriot but not a nationalist (he respected traditional values and was
happy to defend his country, but not to state it was superior to others). He
believed that most faults in his society arose from social and economical
inequality.
• Nineteen Eighty-Four was his last text, written when he was ill and isolated. It
was written post WWII and reflects how appalled he was by Hitler, Mussolini
and Stalin
• At the time when Orwell wrote "1984", it was fashionable for intellectuals to
admire Stalinist Russia. They thought of it as the opposite of Nazi Germany.
Not long before his death, Orwell published this warning in the hope that
people would realize that all dictatorships are basically the same.
Orwell and the formation of his
beliefs
The Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War
• “The Spanish Civil War …turned the scale and
thereafter I knew where I stood. Every line of
serious work that I have written since 1936 has
been written, directly or indirectly, against
totalitarianism and for democratic socialism, as
I know it.” – George Orwell
George Orwell
volunteered and fought
on the side of the
P.O.U.M. (Party of
Marxist Unity) during the
Spanish Civil War
In Republican Spain he fleetingly
experienced a world where "the working
class was in the saddle". This was the
kind of world in which Orwell wanted to
live. His great Russian Revolution fable,
Animal Farm, is essentially the story of
the hope for equality cruelly betrayed.
Politics Betrayed
Orwell fought on the republican side, which was a loose grouping of left
wing factions.
He witnessed the brutal suppression by the pro-communist forces of the
more equality minded factions he was involved with.
He was not only dismayed by this, but was disturbed that none of this was
faithfully reported in the British press. This caused him to loose faith in
the media.
He was further disturbed that British left wing intellectuals still slavishly
supported the Soviet Union and failed to see Stalin’s handiwork in Spain.
The Spanish Civil War
Orwell's fleeting experience of the suppression behind Republican lines in
Spain led him to an understanding of the atmosphere of the totalitarian state.
On the basis of the astonishing dishonesty of the ideologues and the press
concerning what was happening in Spain, Orwell came to fear a future world
from which the ideal of objective truth had vanished and where those who held
power were able to control the future through their control over the past. It was
in Spain, moreover, that Orwell first saw the peculiar corruption to which those
intellectuals who attached themselves to a country or a cause were prone.
For Orwell the essence of totalitarianism was the attack it waged against
freedom. After Spain he lived with a permanent dread that the liberal
civilisation into which he had been born was gradually being destroyed. This
was the source of 1984, the most important warning he wrote about the abuse
of absolute state power in the technological age.
Russian Revolution
• The theories of Karl Marx were more than fifty years old when Lenin
and the Bolsheviks seized power in October 1917. The response of
people around the world was one of hope, that this was the
beginning of an International Workers’ movement that would bring
Communism into existence. The reality was that Stalin rose to
power, instituted a police state, developed a cult of personality
around himself and purged millions of people whom he thought
might stand in his way. His capacity for cruelty was unprecedented
in human history. He controlled all avenues of information, falsified
history, and through the use of five-year plans forced the population
to overwork. He developed a public enemy for the people to hate, in
Nazi Germany, but signed a non-aggression pact with Hitler in 1939.
Through show trials and purges, he removed almost every member
of the Soviet Army down to the rank of captain
VATE Inside Stories Nineteen Eighty-Four 4/4
Capitalism and Communism
• Yet the gigantic evils committed by Stalinist Russia and
Nazi Germany were much more than unpleasant facts.
Orwell believed that a totalitarian frame of mind existed
both in Britain as well as Soviet Russia.
• “Capitalism leads to dole queues, the scramble for
markets, and war. Collectivism leads to concentration
camps, leader worship, and war. There is no way out of
this unless a planned economy can somehow be
combined with the freedom of the intellect, which can
only happen if the concept of right and wrong is
restored to politics”. (‘Capitalism and communism: two
paths to slavery, 1944. Article for The Tribune. See
References.)
English Socialism
• Throughout the text Orwell refers to INGSOC – the newspeak
term for English Socialism.
• Orwell believed, during the 1940 that the British social class
system was hindering the war effort against Hitler. He
believed that the only way to defeat Hitler was through a
Socialist society.
• According to Orwell an English Socialist system would be able
to gain power and keep it. The system would not accept
traitors and would put law above state. The system would
crush any open revolt, promptly and cruelly.
• Orwell wrote the text :The Lion and the Unicorn projecting
these ideas.
• However, a few years later Orwell realised the true ability
behind English Socialism and wrote Nineteen Eighty-Four as
a warning of how the ideals can degenerate into the
monstrous Big Brother
Publication and reception context
• From it the term Orwellian has
evolved, in reference to an idea or
action that is hostile to a free
society. Yet, Nineteen Eighty-Four
has proven to be a profoundly
meaningful work and continues to
be one of the world’s most widely
read and quoted novels into the
twenty-first century.
• Inspired by Yevgeny Zamyatin's
(1884-1937) We, Blair worked
intensely, often writing ten hours a
day and even when bedridden with
tuberculosis in his last days
continued to labour over it.
• “Every line of serious work that I
have written since 1936 has been
written, directly or indirectly,
against totalitarianism and for
democratic socialism, as I
understand it.”
Totalitarianism
Orwell explained that he set the book in Britain to
emphasise “that totalitarianism, if not fought against,
could triumph anywhere” [1].
Commenting on 1984, Orwell wrote, “I do not believe
that the kind of society I describe necessarily
will arrive, but I believe that something resembling it
could arrive.” [2]
''Political language . . . is designed to make lies sound
truthful and murder respectable, and to give an
appearance of solidity to pure wind.''
Publication and reception context
Originally titled Last Man in
Europe it was renamed Nineteen
Eighty-Four for unknown
reasons, possibly a mere reversal
of the last two digits of the year it
was written. It was first met with
conflicting criticisms and
acclaim; some reviewers disliked
its dystopian satire of totalitarian
regimes, nationalism, the class
system, bureaucracy, and world
leaders’ power struggles, while
others panned it as nihilistic
prophesy on the downfall of
humankind. Some still see it as
anti-Catholic with Big Brother
replacing God and church.
Understanding the world of Nineteen
Eighty-Four
• Parallels to Stalinist Soviet Union and Hitler’s Nazi Germany
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Social structure
 Subordination of individuals to “the Party”
 Rigorous distinction between inner party, outer party and
everyone else
▫ Activities within the society
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Worship of a leader (comparable to the dictators)
Joycamps (Concentration camps)
Thought Police (Gestapo or NKVD
Daily exercise (Nazi propaganda movies
Youth League (Hitler Youth or Octobrists/Pioneers)
▫ Propaganda
Relevant Quotes
• “The broad mass of the nation … will more easily fall victim to
a big lie than to a small one.” –Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, 1952
• “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will
eventually come to believe it.” – Nazi Propaganda Minister
Joseph Goebbels
• “Voice of no voice, the people can always be brought to the
bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell
them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for
lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It
works the same in any country.” Nazi Reich Marshal
Hermann Goring, Nuremburg trial
Dystopia
In the late 19th century British philosophers
coined the term ‘dystopia’. The term indicates an
indefinite world in which the contradictions of the
author’s society creates a pessimistic (not
optimistic) vision of the future. Dystopian texts
are written to stimulate reflection from the reader
about the differences between reality and fiction
with the final purpose of improving reality itself.
Ultimately dystopian texts show what the possible
impact of today’s values, behaviour and attitude
may lead to.
Dystopian texts
Dystopian texts usually have common elements:
• A hierarchical society where division between the upper,
middle and lower classes are definitive and unbreakable
• The propaganda and the educational system have the
purpose of preserving the class system
• The cancellation of individuality
• The constant surveillance by state police agencies
• More advanced technologies
• Back story of disaster that justifies the dramatic social
changes
• A protagonist who believes that escape or even
overturning the social order is possible
Structure of Nineteen Eighty-Four
• 3 parts (the world of Nineteen Eighty-Four,
Winston’s relationship with Julia, Winston’s
capture and torture)
Summary of the novel
• In George Orwell's "1984" the world is divided into the three
super-powers Oceania, Eastasia and Eurasia. Oceania is
alternating at war with one power and allied with the other.
The population of Oceania consists of three castes: the Inner
Party (1%), the Outer Party (14%) and the Proles (85%). The
Inner Party is the ruling caste and its sole desire is to gain
power, have power, and keep the power - forever.
• The official face of the party is "Big Brother", an oversized face
on posters hanging on walls everywhere and staring from
every telescreen, seeming to follow everybody with his eyes.
• Children are instructed to spy on their parents. Adults like the
hero Winston Smith, are employed to rewrite history so that it
always show that the dictatorship was right. There is no
escape. Any attempt to express oneself as an individual is
discovered and the person is brainwashed.
Characters
Winston Smith -The main protagonist of Orwell’s 1984. He resents the authoritarian regime of the
Party and tries to rebel, but is finally crushed in body and soul.
Julia -Winston’s girlfriend. She also starts out with a strident anti-party stand and is suppressed in
the same way as Winston is.
O’Brien -a prominent member of the Inner Circle of the Party. He traps Winston into betraying his
unorthodox views and presides over his torture and degradation.
Mr. Charrington -a member of the powerful thought police, who disguises himself as a “prole” and
entraps Winston.
Ampleforth -One of Winston’s colleagues at the Ministry of Truth, whose job is to “rewrite” old
poems in keeping with Party ideology. He is arrested for thought crimes.
Parsons -Another colleague of Winston’s who despite his stupid and unquestioning adherence to the
Party line, is still arrested. His children are such zealot pupils of the Party that they are prepared to
‘turn in’ any ‘thought criminal’, even their father
Symes –Winston’s colleague who is executed. He illustrates the truth that a high level of intelligence
is not guarantee of humane thought or behaviour. He is a sadistic zealot.
Jones, Aaronson and Rutherford -three original leaders of the Party who were later denounced as
traitors and executed.
Emmanuel Goldstein -The number one ‘Enemy of the People’ according to the Party. He is believed
to have written a subversive book and to head a mysterious anti-party organization called The
Brotherhood.
Big Brother -the omnipresent symbol of Party dominance. Big Brother’s presence is everywhere on
posters, on cigarette covers, on coins and on telescreens.
Nineteen Eighty-Four social structures and attributes
Big
Brother
Inner
Party
Outer Party
Proletarian (Proles) (85%)
Ministry of
Truth
Ministry of
Love
Ministry of
Peace
Ministry of
Plenty
Minitrue
Miniluv
Minipax
Miniplenty
Releases
propaganda
Enforces love for
Big Brother
Concerns itself
with war
Controls the
economy
Produces all
artistic products
Enforces loyalty
In charge of the
and submission to armed forces
BB
Falsifies texts and
history
Uses fear,
brainwashing and
torture
Creates newspeak
Has no windows
and is heavily
guarded
Oversees supply
of food and goods
Maintains
Responsible for
perpetual/continu the rationing of
ous war
items
Telescreen
Two Minutes
Hate
Junior Spies
Desensitizing
films
Room 101
Maintaining
Control
Junior Anti-Sex
League
Newspeak
Doublethink
Thought Police
Two
Minutes
Hate
Three
slogans
Newspeak
Propaganda
Physical
Jerks
Rewriting
History
Big
Brother
Posters
Hate
Week
Newspeak and Doublethink
• One of the most dangerous aspects of totalitarian rule is
the Party’s control of language. The sole purpose of
Newspeak is “to narrow the range of thought”. This will
ensure that thoughtcrime becomes a redundant concept
because the words to express dissidence will have been
eliminated.
• The pinnacle of the Party’s success in controlling thought
and language is evident in the concept of doublethink,
which is the “power of holding two contradictory belies
in one’s mind simultaneously and accepting both of
them”. Perhaps the most telling examples of doublethink
are expressed in the Party’s slogans: “WAR IS PEACE;
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY; IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH”
Symbolism
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In "Nineteen Eighty-Four" Orwell draws a picture of a totalitarian future. Although the action
takes place in the future, there are a couple of elements and symbols taken from the present and
past. So, for example, Emmanuel Goldstein, the main enemy of Oceania, is, as one can see from
the name, a Jew. Orwell draws a link to other totalitarian systems of our century, like the Nazis
and the Communists, who had anti-Semitic ideas, and who used Jews as so-called scapegoats,
who were responsible for all bad and evil things in the country. This fact also shows that
totalitarian systems want to arbitrate their perfection.
Emmanuel Goldstein somehow also stands for Trotsky, a leader of the Revolution, who was later
declared an enemy.
Another symbol that can be found in Nineteen Eighty-Four is the fact that Orwell divides the
fictional superstates in the book according to the division that can be found during the Cold War.
So Oceania stands for the United States of America , Eurasia for Russia and Eastasia for China.
The fact that the two socialist countries Eastasia and Eurasia (in our case Russia and China) are at
war with each other, corresponds to our history (Usuri river).
Other, non-historical symbols can be found. One of these symbols is the paperweight that
Winston buys in the old junk-shop. It stands for the fragile little world that Winston and Julia
have made for each other. They are the coral inside of it. As Orwell wrote: "It is a little chunk of
history, that they have forgotten to alter".
The "Golden Country" is another symbol. It stands for the old European pastoral landscape. The
place where Winston and Julia meet for the first time to make love to each other, is exactly like
the "Golden Country" of Winston’s dreams.
http://www.k-1.com/Orwell/site/work/summaries/1984.html
Winston’s Diary
To the future or to the past, to a time when thought is free,
when men are different from one another and do not live
alone-to a time when truth exists and what is done cannot
be undone. From the age of uniformity, from the age of
solitude, from the age of Big Brother, from the age of
doublethink-greetings! (p 32)
“We are the dead. Our only true life is in the
future. We shall take part in it as handfuls of dust
and splinters of bone. But how far away that
future may be, there is no knowing. It might be a
thousand years. At present nothing is possible
except to extend the area of sanity little by little.”
O’Brien to Winston and Julia (p 204)
Reviews of 1984
Orwell provides compelling reasons for the people of the 21st century to, much
as we did in the 60's, question authority. Winston holds these thoughts dear
but because of how society has been allowed to evolve he must be careful with
even his own thoughts. You'll go with him as he meets Julia and as, against all
odds, develops a relationship. Surprises abound in this unique and, at the time
it was written, futuristic look at a world that has allowed itself to be taken over
by an entity that we know even today as Big Brother. You'll find yourself asking
how this man who wrote the novel in 1948 could possibly have such foresight
into what would evolve into the world as we know it today. Similarities between
life as we know it and life as Orwell foresaw abound. The book will cause you to
look around yourself and question the policies of our government and the
policies of global governments and how they impact our daily life. Definitely a
compelling read.
Submitted by Anonymous
http://www.online-literature.com/orwell/1984/