Human Nature Is a Precarious

Human nature is a precarious thing in that it cannot be bought, sold, contained, or restrained. As human beings, we are born with certain desires and nothing can delete from our psyche. One novel that illustrates this point is 1984 by George Orwell. Orwell demonstrates the strength and frailty of human nature through Winston Smith and his experiences. From the very first passages in the novel, we are aware of how individuality is stripped from humanity. From Big Brother to Thought Police, humanity is bombarded with intrusions. Orwell illustrates how humanity is not created for this type of existence. Instead, humanity is made to be creative, curious, and confrontational and only individuality will allow this to occur. Rebellion is not acceptable - or so we are to believe - but it is the only ticket to freedom. Human nature cannot be contained or controlled and Winston is the man to illustrate this point.

Through Winston, we see the yearning of humanity, which is individuality. The presence of Big Brother, an overseer, is the first intrusion to this yearning. While Winston yearns to be an autonomous individual, he cannot because of this intrusive presence in his daily life. We read that there is no way of "knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment... It was conceivable that they watched everybody all the time" (Orwell 2). Winston's awareness of this presence is devastating to his human nature. He states, "Nothing was your own except the few cubic centimetres inside your skull" (24). Furthermore, Winston says:

To wear an improper expression on your face (to look incredulous when a victory was announced, for example) was itself a punishable offense. There was even a word for it in Newspeak: facecrime it was called. Your worst enemy was your own nervous system. Any moment the tension inside you was liable to translate itself into some visible symptom. (55)

In addition, we read, "At home and in bed in the darkness you were safe from the telescreen so long as you kept silent" (96-7). These scenes demonstrate humanity's need for some sense of privacy. The most shocking notions about Big Brother are how the individual loses a sense of identity in such a situation.

Winston represents humanity because he is not a lemming. He asks questions and he wants someone to answer those questions. In short, he wants his freedom but this is difficult for him to articulate because he has no real sense of what freedom actually is. This leads him to a desire an escape from the life he knows. He is unaware that it is his free will that is longing to escape. While he is wise not to ignore his inner yearnings, he is oblivious on how to obtain his freedom. All he knows is that he is lost and he must find a way to himself. This is a personality trait that every human being is born with and when it becomes endangered the human instinct is to resist.

Resistance is not always easy as Orwell demonstrates in his novel. Winston and others in the novel are met at all sides to conform but it is not so easy, as Winston illustrates. The yearning of human nature is compounded with images of Thought Police, another intrusive presence that makes life unbearable. Winston tells us, "At home and in bed in the darkness you were safe from the telescreen so long as you kept silent" (96-7). Again, we are faced with a lack of individuality that is essential for a fulfilling human experience. Winston's personal journal exposes his need for individuality. Through his sadness, we see that what is most personal to humanity - our own nervous system and emotions - is used against him in a society that is bent on killing the autonomy he desires. Winston is a hero because he does not bend so easily. However, his struggle is made that much more difficult because of his innate desires. The novel serves as a warning for those that think otherwise.