1984 Dystopia Essay

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines a dystopia as, “an imaginary place where people lead dehumanized and often fearful lives”. In simpler terms, picture the most perfect place you can imagine, and flip it completely on its head. Awfully terrifying isn’t it? George Orwell, a prestigious British writer circa 1940, published a couple works centered around dystopian/utopian universes and societies. Arguably his most famous work was a fictitious novel titled 1984, which revolved around government controlled Oceania in the near-future. Dystopian literature typically has many common themes and elements involving: oppression, conformity, rebellion, and many others. Consequently this renders the question of: is George Orwell’s 1984 a form of dystopian literature? Fundamentally, it is important to thoroughly understand exactly what a dystopian society is before diving any deeper. Generally a dystopian society involves an oppressive, totalitarian power, dictating a brainwashed population to conform to the power’s needs. Totalitarianism is a political system that institutes absolute authority over all facets of the public’s lives, no matter what. During the time of the novel’s writing process, Orwell witnessed the absolute dictatorships of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany and Stalin’s Soviet Union, thusly …show more content…
To be honest, what would a anti-utopian novel be without some sort of rebellious faction or main character? This rebellious protagonist typically starts to become curious about his or her society and why it is the way that it is. Most times, this person may also have a sense of self-responsibility or certain role to contribute to the society. Next, further curiosity can lead to discovery of complete corruption of the “utopian” society, and may cause thoughts or actions of rebellion. As the protagonist’s eyes become open to the truth, he or she will attempt to escape or fight the