Critical Analysis: 1984 George Orwell.

Critical Analysis: 1984 George Orwell

George Orwell’s final book, Nineteen Eighty-Four was published a just seven months before his death in January 1950. A s a consequence this book has therefore gained almost legendary status as Orwell’s prophesy. However, this reputation has only served to disguise what through reading be described as an analytical, almost essay form attack against Stalinism or totalitarianism in general.

However, this accompanied by Orwell’s natural satirical style of writing delivers a carefully crafted attack on dictatorial “socialism.” The sheer obviousness of the totalitarian society in 1984 is not only intimidating through its written word but also as both a concept and as Orwell’s opinion of the future. Issues raised in the book such as the theory of “big brother” and the premeditated threat of the corrupt Utopia shocked many who read it. Due to the cultural influence of the book on any who read it, the year 1984 was approached with all the trepidation of the Millennium. The main reason for this was that people were aware of the inherent possibility that “Big Brother” of the new Millennium could exist, albeit in a subtler manner. As a modern example, take the amount of advertising seen by the average person every day. These operate on the same principle as the six-foot wide posters of Big Brother, both are geared to manipulation of the reader to a product or a concept. Even taking the acceptable practice of Japan’s ten-minute company song breaks to an extreme, it could be compared to the two minutes hate; mandatory practice in “the ministry of love”.

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Though1984 portrayed the dangers of Totalitarianism, what the book failed to see was that, whilst the quality of life in 1984 was terrible and in some parts inhumane and abject to the outside the productivity of both the proles and ministry workers in the book is astounding. The machine like portrayal of Oceania, and the description of the way that the economy is almost entirely machine manipulated “novel writing machines,” gives evidence to the suppression of human creativity that Orwell predicted. Totalitarianism is a mechanism for continuation of species/ state that cannot be justified in any shape or form is the way that Orwell inferred his opinion. Orwell almost relies on mans inhumanity to make 1984 more shocking. . He utilises the torture scenes to great effect to include the readers fear in connection with the character Winston. Orwell intends the initial torture is for everyone. The constant questions, the ritual kickings, constant light: the extreme of violence for one small confession is intended to horrify the reader with its brutality. Winston’s own nightmare was of the rats. The confession they wanted him to make was that of Julia, in effect to blame her for his heretic tendencies. 1984 has a darker mental picture than Orwells’ initial utopia. With its dirty corridors and hunger stricken denizens, the all-seeing telescreen, lacking todays prerequisite subtlety and Winston’s alcove away from the huge omniscient figure of Big Brother the mental picture conveyed becomes one of twisted society.

Big Brother is the source of Winston’s eternal fear however Winston’s fear can be explained by his own self-hatred. Near the beginning of the book he admits that the thought police may not be watching everyone, however throughout the novel Orwell seems to detail that this is used as a hypothetical mental torture used to keep society in check with the minimum of effort.

The main source of fear for the proles (the lower classes of utopia) has to be the Rocket bombs, which according to Julia( Winston’s girlfriend) are launched by Oceania itself to keep the Proles too scared to rise up against the Party. This is not entirely hypothetical, as the proles make up over 80% of Oceania’s population but are not seen as important enough to even cause a rebellion. The proles have no vote so therefore no power and as a consequence have no political influence. Proles and animals are free. Orwell makes this evident in both the literal and hypocritical sense. The ministry officials perceive the proles as free, they are not constrained by the threat of big brother or the party. However, they are manipulated by the state, so in the official definition of free they are not.The proles are the uncontrolled factor, there are far too many of them for the state and Big Brother to control so they make them powerless to argue with the party. They do this through denying the proles education, producing contraband to make the proles believe that they are fighting the system. Throughout 1984 Utopia is alleged to be at war with eastasia. None of the proles are utilised as “cannon fodder” and there is no mention of the Proles connection with the war. This shows to me that Julia’s idea was true, that there is no war. Winston, whilst a rebel at heart, has one of the most important jobs in the party’s operation, changing the past to fit the wishes of Big Brother and through changing the past, controlling the future. He who controls the past controls the future, he who controls the present controls the past. Winston finds himself questioning the party ethics and policy due to the articles he has to change. This is another form of torture for Winston, seeing irrefutable proof of Big Brother’s manipulation of the people, yet he cannot begin to think what to do with it. One of the other mind-controlling vehicles in 1984 is the two minutes hate, focusing the power of emotion against the Trotsky/Snowball figure of Emmanuel Goldstein, Big Brother’s once boon companion, and now hated enemy. Much like Snowball and Napoleon of Animal farm fame, and as with Animal Farm, the inference is that Goldstein was killed yet his persona being kept around for reasons of propaganda and to produce a vent for frustrations to be channelled into before they inadvertently backfire onto the party. The party must stick with this figure due to the constant changing of alliances between Eurasia and Eastasia, much like Frederick and Pilkington of Animal Farm. Even Winston is not immune to the propaganda of Big Brother as he almost forgets the fact that, but a month ago Oceania had been fighting the other side. He attempts to explain the enormity of this to Julia who just shrugs it off, feigning ignorance. This is just the sort of thought the party wants, protective stupidity. Ignorance is Strength. This section of The Book drawls on and simply reaffirms Winston's own fears about how the party works but never explains why. However Orwells re-affirmation of the control that the totalitarian state has over the mind, ”the best books are the ones that tell you what you already know.”