Political Climate of the Novel,

¶ … political climate of the novel, "1984" by George Orwell is totalitarian and repressive, without freedom or hope of change. The government, or "Big Brother," controls every aspect of life, and the Thought Police make sure nothing but approved statements are even thought about (Orwell 3). It is an alien and horrific society. Orwell writes, "You had to live -- did live, from habit that became instinct -- in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized" (Orwell 3). Not only that, it is a crumbling society. Throughout the book, Orwell uses images of "rotting nineteenth-century houses" (Orwell 3), the "boiled cabbage smell," (Orwell 21), filth, and an overpowering sense of decay and poverty to indicate just what the government has done to the people. There is not enough food or enough goods, and the people live meaningless and hopeless lives. They may be "equal," but the political environment is anything but democratic. It is overpoweringly dictatorial and repressive in order to maintain ultimate control over everyone in Oceania.

Perhaps the worst aspect of the totalitarian government is the never-ending control they hold over every aspect of life. Continually, Orwell refers to this control to show the repressive paranoia of the government. He writes, "Asleep or awake, working or eating, indoors or out of doors, in the bath or in bed - no escape. Nothing was your own except the few cubic centimeters inside your skull" (Orwell 26). Even that "few cubic centimeters" is not really yours, because the Thought Police know your thoughts and watch your every movement, indoors or out. The conflicting forces are the resistance movements that the government "endorses" but makes look ridiculous and non-credible at the same time. The Two-Minute Hates ensure the conflicting forces face continual hatred by the people, and the issues at stake are freedom and democracy. That is the most frightening aspect of the government, that it can control the minds of the people, and even change their views, or brainwash them, as it does with Winston in the end of the book (Orwell 277-280). In addition, they have convinced the people, through fear and intimidation that this control is acceptable and necessary, and they accept it, somewhat like sheep or other animals. They do what they must to survive, even if it means surviving in a repressive and horrible world like this.

3. Winston, the major character in "1984," takes a strong stand against his own government in the book, and the outcome is disastrous for him. Early in the book, he shows his true feelings when he writes in his diary "DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER," (Orwell 20) and then obsessively worries about being found out. To fight the government and its oppression, he joins the Brotherhood, a resistance organization. From the very beginning of the book, it is clear Winston is unsatisfied with his life. He manipulates his personal space so that he can write unseen from the all-seeing screen in his home (Orwell 5-6). He engages is semi-questionable practices, like buying the diary and hanging out at the Chestnut Tree Cafe, which is "ill-omened" (Orwell 55). He even falls in love with Julia and they have an affair, something expressly forbidden by the Party, and so, it is clear throughout the book that Winston is searching for an end to the repression. In his own way, he is a rebel, even if he is a fearful one. He knows the Party and its actions are wrong, and he desperately wants to make a change, but it is impossible to topple the government, they have too much power and have instilled too much fear in the people to ever lose control. In fact, they have so much control that he even questions his own sanity. Orwell writes, "He wondered, as he had many times wondered before, whether he himself was a lunatic" (Orwell 80). He knows rebellion is right, but he questions its' sanity, which indicates the power the Party has over everyone. Ultimately, Wilson is caught, and he is brainwashed to the point that he even turns on Julia. He returns to society with the "correct" thoughts, and is no longer a threat, as he spends his days drinking Victory Gin in the Chestnut Tree Cafe, no longer a threat to anyone or anything (Orwell 296).