1984, Written by George Orwell in 1949,

¶ … 1984," written by George Orwell in 1949, is a classic piece about government power and the influence of that power on the lives and minds of normal citizens. Additionally, in the characters and situations within the novel, Orwell's piece also reflects the characters and concerns of life in 1949. From war to invasion of privacy to the rise in technological advancement, Orwell's "1984" clearly speaks volumes about the author's own culture and values.

The novel "1984" follows Winston Smith, a member of the Outer Party and a worker at the Ministry of Truth. Big Brother, or the Party, the government, is everywhere in the lives of citizens, as telescreens monitor their every move, and any thought, deed, or conversation that is against the government's rules is punishable by any number of means. The telescreens are in the homes, offices, streets, and even bathrooms of the citizens. As Winston begins a diary discussing his hatred of the Party, and his disapproval of his job function, which requires him to alter historical and news documents to better suit the position of the Party, he begins to realize he cannot be the only one against the government.

Winston finds a companion, Julia, and together they begin to plot against the Party. Their love for one another is strictly prohibited, yet their passion is undeniable. They confess their love for one another and hatred for the Party to Inner Party member O'Brien, whom they think is in the Brotherhoood, an organization against the Party. However, once a part of this Brotherhood, Winston and Julia are captured, and Winston is tortured by O'Brien, who turns out to be a key member of the Party.

O'Brien, watching Winston for over seven years, is aware of every infraction he has committed. When faced with his largest fear, rats, Winston is finally broken, and employs the government concept of doublethink, or the ability to hold two conflicting views at one time, and believe in them both equally. He is betrayed by Julia, and in the end, believes strongly in the Party, and in Big Brother.

The portrayal of Winston clearly shows Orwell's own values and belief in the common man of 1949, as well as the values of society at the time. Even the name, Winston, is taken from Winston Churchill, the leader of England in World War II, and the surname Smith is the most common name in England. This, combined with Winston's individuality and free will, and the portrayal of society as a civilized culture with forced democracy, is clearly representative of the people of England and the societal pursuit of propriety.

Even the demise of Winston in the end is a representation of Orwell's distaste for overbearing government intrusion. As a "normal" decent citizen, Winston should triumph at the end, but Orwell sees to it that his readers understand that nothing positive can come from Big Brother. This can be seen as a warning to the future about what Orwell and others in England saw in the late 40's, an expansion of big government.

Other characters in the novel also represent figures in the post-war culture of England. O'Brien, seemingly a father figure and role model for Winston, eventually uses torture and power to overcome him. During the torture, O'Brien claims to be saving Winston, perfecting him by forcing him to embrace the cleanliness of the Party. This method is not unlike those of WWII leaders, such as Hitler and Stalin, who used the same argument of "purity" to convince people to join their respective Parties, and who used torture and power to punish those who dared fight against them.

Even Emmanuel Goldstein, leader of the Brotherhood opposition, could be seen as a representation of post-war figures. The name in and of itself is a traditionally Jewish name, perhaps showing Orwell's concern over the power structure in World War II. Additionally, O'Brien's insistence that Big Brother and the Brotherhood do not truly exist also represent the totalitarian power structure of the world in the post-WWII era. Orwell appears to be showing his readers, in O'Brien's double agent status in the Brotherhood that no government is to be trusted.

The entire function of the Ministry of Truth also displays the concerns and values of post-war England in 1949. As things against the Party occur, the Ministry of Truth simply edits the document to shed a more positive light. Orwell's concern over this tendency is well placed. Even non-totalitarian political systems "remember" things differently, and if history books are altered in a way that sheds positive light on any one government, and if children are taught this incorrect information, these falsehoods become factual for future generations.

Even the language used in "1984," Newspeak, was a sign of the values of Orwell. In an essay titled "Politics and the English Language," Orwell wrote consistently of how thought can corrupt language and thus conversely, language can corrupt thought (Orwell, paragraph 18, 1946). He believed that language deteriorated when subjected to political interference. Additionally, Orwell valued language as one of the few truths in the world, and thought that if a government were totalitarian, their use of language would serve only to restrict ideas (Orwell, paragraph 20, 1946).