Furton
Akos Furton
Ms. Farrell
AP Lit and Comp
August 11, 2010
Communism and its Weaknesses
Through the use of Winston’s life as a window into the oppression and harshness of communism, Orwell warns the reader of the dangers of allowing communism to spread unchecked, therefore turning the reader against communism.
Orwell, through his description of Winston’s daily life in London, exposes communism as a deceitful, oppressive farce. For example, in the opening chapter of the novel, Winston refers to his flat as a Victory Mansion, an ironic description because electricity was rarely present, the elevator never worked, and the telescreen droned constantly. Because of the incongruity of the name Victory mansion and the living conditions present within one, the reader therefore deduces that the name Victory Mansion is simply a propaganda ploy by the Oceanian government, revealing the destitute living conditions of even Party members, individuals who possessed some, if minor, influence, illustrating to the reader the poverty that communism creates. Furthermore, through the name of Winston’s workplace, the Ministry of Truth, Orwell provides another example of irony, as the ministry produces propaganda and rewrites politically inconvenient newspaper articles and history, exposing truth, a basic right in Western culture, as a farce in communism. Moreover, to illustrate the Party’s oppression, living comforts, such as Victory Coffee, Victory Gin, and Victory Cigarettes, exist to the masses only in watered down and tasteless forms, nothing victorious about the products, illustrating the harshness of live under communism. In contrast, the Inner Party, a few select individuals, can enjoy coffee, wine, and tea in full – flavored variants, exposing the oppressive control the Inner Party has over the masses. The impoverishment of the masses that the Party, in its deceitful manner, attempts to cover up with Three Year Plans that show a gradual improvement in personal quality of life, when in reality life does not improve at all, serves as a market warning against communism, that with communism, the masses would descend into poverty, while a select group perpetuates its wealth.
