Sexuality In 1984

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George Orwell’s 1984 is an oppressive world that drains the citizens that live under the INGSOC regime. The citizens of Oceania become repurposed by the Inner Party into tools that exist to perpetuate the class disparity between the Inner Party and the Proles. To summarize, sexuality’s importance to the narrative of 1984 concentrates on the dynamic thematic representations throughout the novel. This essay will highlight several examples of sexuality and sexual expression within 1984 and how sexuality is an act of freedom against oppression. Winston’s sexual past Winston acts as a window for Orwell to emphasize the importances of the state’s control over sexuality. Furthermore, through his diary entries Winston tells the reader of his sexual …show more content…
With all other emotional and sexual possibilities of the citizens greatly restricted or outlawed, they have no outlet to relieve the pressure. This is the purpose of Big Brother, in addition to Emmanuel Goldstein during the Two Minutes Hate. They act as the repositories for the people to channel their desires that can lead to dissent. In Horan’s “Revolution from the Waist Downwards”, Horan comments on the Inner Party using Big Brother stating “The energy generated by lust, love, energy, perversion and other dangerous passions is redirected into cathartic rituals of adoration for Big Brother” (Horan 325). I believe Horan’s ideas extend into Goldstein. Where Big Brother is a repository for sexual adoration, Goldstein is for sexual frustration. The Inner Party wants people to long for sexual release, but they want to be the only ones to provide the only outlet through “the great orgasm” (Orwell 180). This allows the Inner Party to redirect sexual desire to into patriotic zeal that is exploitable. Therefore, if the Inner Party did not provide a suitable outlet for sexual pleasure, then sexuality could destroy the psychological conditioning that the Inner Party has created. “Each orgasm [Julia] enjoys siphons away energy that would be otherwise be spent buttressing Big Brother and the state policies he represents” (Horan 326). Horan combines my ideas of sexuality removing focus from the Inner Party and Big Brother is a sexual outlet for citizens to channel energy into the Inner Party. Furthermore, Big Brother acts as a personification of the Inner Party, meaning the people who love Big Brother love the Inner Party and their methods as

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