Orwell's 1984 and the USA Patriot Act: Big Brother

Introduction: Orwell and the Patriot Act

George Orwell's novel 1984 presents one of the most chilling visions of government overreach ever committed to fiction. This essay examines the USA Patriot Act of 2001 and its relationship to Orwell's novel. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Congress enacted the Patriot Act in an attempt to counter terrorism in the United States. Many critics of the act believe that it has allowed the government to come several steps closer to the "Big Brother" analogy Orwell creates in his novel. The Patriot Act has limited personal freedom and privacy in this country, giving the government too much control over information in people's lives — making the American government more like the one in Orwell's novel than ever before.

Big Brother's Society in Orwell's 1984

In Orwell's novel, the government — which he calls "Big Brother" — controls every aspect of life, and the Thought Police ensure that people think nothing beyond approved statements (Orwell 3). This creates an alien and horrifying society in which people cannot express themselves openly or even entertain "bad" thoughts. 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).

As if that were not troubling enough, this is also a society in a state of physical decay. Throughout the book, Orwell develops images of "rotting nineteenth-century houses" (Orwell 3), a "boiled cabbage smell" (Orwell 21), filth, and an overwhelming sense of rot and poverty, all of which indicate how thoroughly the government has corrupted every aspect of people's lives. As one scholar observes, "As Orwell points out, for as long as there are gross inequalities in society people will never feel a sense of solidarity or of belonging to the same social project — for equality is the condition for fraternity or community with others" (White). While Americans are not as subjugated as the citizens of Orwell's fictional society, the Patriot Act of 2001 moves the country one step closer to a state of total governmental control — and for the most part, Americans have stepped aside and allowed it to erode personal freedoms that may never be restored.

The Patriot Act and the Erosion of Privacy

One of the most controversial aspects of the Patriot Act is the power it concentrates in the executive branch of government while removing much of the judicial oversight over privacy. As two scholars note, "Under the pretense of enhancing national security, the U.S.A. Patriot Act concentrates increased new powers in the executive branch of government, while decreasing judicial oversight" (Abdolian and Takooshian). Many critics believe the act went far too far in expanding executive power and authorizing surveillance of citizens and their activities. People became suspect if they were of Arabic descent or if they discussed topics that could be misinterpreted. For example, the act attempted to monitor library patrons' borrowing records and individuals' Internet search activity.

Abdolian and Takooshian further explain that "the Act severely curtails the right to privacy at several turns, including broadening the grounds for increased surveillance and wiretap authority, sneak-and-peek searches, tracking Internet usage, and accessing private records." This mirrors activities Orwell describes in his novel: "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). Under provisions of the Patriot Act, a student researching a term paper on the Muslim religion — using a computer and writing a favorable analysis — could theoretically become a suspect in a terrorism investigation.

Conclusion

Orwell's disturbing novel depicts a future filled with governmental control and absolute power, showing a society that has given up hope and accepted its circumstances with no means to fight back or reclaim personal freedoms. It presents a world that feels eerily familiar when viewed alongside developments in contemporary society — and that familiarity is precisely what makes the novel so frightening to read. The Patriot Act of 2001, with its expansion of surveillance authority, curtailment of judicial oversight, and exploitation of public fear, represents a significant step in the direction Orwell warned against. Whether America will continue down that path or choose to reclaim the civil liberties it has gradually ceded remains an open and urgent question.