George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four” is heavily influenced by the totalitarian governments present during the World War 2 era and serves as a warning to the world about the restriction of individualism that might occur if this type of government took over. Orwell, living in the 1940’s, was a witness to many totalitarian governments across the world and realized their danger. Orwell’s message, or “warning” can be seen through the character Winston Smith and the rise and fall of his individuality.
Orwell, as evident in 1984, was against the idea of an authoritarian and totalitarian government. This doesn’t only come from his evaluation of the ideology, but his personal experiences with these types of regimes as well. While in Spain …show more content…
It is “a novel he wrote as a warning after years of brooding on the twin menaces of Nazism and Stalinism” (Britannica). Stalinism and Nazism are identified as totalitarian governments, totalitarianism being a “form of government that theoretically permits no individual freedom and that seeks to subordinate all aspects of individual life to the authority of the state”(Britannica). In the novel “The Party” is the big bad totalitarian government that is representative of both Stalinism and Naziism. “The Party” is shown to have control over almost every aspect of life in the dystopian London, one aspect can be shown through a quote from Winston that reads: “Do you realize that the past, starting from yesterday, has been actually abolished?... Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture… repainted, … every date has been altered” ( Orwell pg.155). By having Winston say this, Orwell shows the reader that The Party even has control over the past. The idea of control is further exemplified with the simple saying, “Big Brother is watching you” (Orwell pg.2). This is meant to create fear and paranoia amongst the people of Airstrip One and on a bigger scale: Oceania. Totalitarian governments, like those that were present in Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia, often use fear and paranoia to keep its citizens obedient. From thought
Orwell, as evident in 1984, was against the idea of an authoritarian and totalitarian government. This doesn’t only come from his evaluation of the ideology, but his personal experiences with these types of regimes as well. While in Spain …show more content…
It is “a novel he wrote as a warning after years of brooding on the twin menaces of Nazism and Stalinism” (Britannica). Stalinism and Nazism are identified as totalitarian governments, totalitarianism being a “form of government that theoretically permits no individual freedom and that seeks to subordinate all aspects of individual life to the authority of the state”(Britannica). In the novel “The Party” is the big bad totalitarian government that is representative of both Stalinism and Naziism. “The Party” is shown to have control over almost every aspect of life in the dystopian London, one aspect can be shown through a quote from Winston that reads: “Do you realize that the past, starting from yesterday, has been actually abolished?... Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture… repainted, … every date has been altered” ( Orwell pg.155). By having Winston say this, Orwell shows the reader that The Party even has control over the past. The idea of control is further exemplified with the simple saying, “Big Brother is watching you” (Orwell pg.2). This is meant to create fear and paranoia amongst the people of Airstrip One and on a bigger scale: Oceania. Totalitarian governments, like those that were present in Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia, often use fear and paranoia to keep its citizens obedient. From thought