Dystopia In The Novel 1984 By George Orwell

Power is the ultimate goal of any leading government or group, but it is not easy to maintain. In the novel 1984, the author George Orwell explores a fictional dystopia which takes place in London, Oceania, Airstrip One. In this society the ruling oligarchy, the Party, has complete control over its citizens. The novel follows a rebellious man named Winston Smith who does not believe any of the propaganda or tricks that the Party uses, but in his society he must resist unorthodoxy or else he will be deemed an ill-fated criminal. Winston watches as his neighbors and colleagues obey the Party and the leading figure Big Brother, avoiding getting caught for thinking differently; however he is eventually caught and even he becomes an obedient member …show more content…
In the society of 1984, the only fact that remains true is that Big Brother is always right because the rest of the events portray him in a superior light. The Party members of Oceania are split into four Ministries named the Ministry of Love, the Ministry of Peace, the Ministry of Plenty, and the Ministry of Truth. The Ministry of Truth is where Party members alter history, facts, books, and anything that needs to be changed in order to make Big Brother seem superior and remove threatening ideas. Winston is member of the Party and was assigned to work in the Ministry of Truth and his job is to “fix” history to make it “right”, or in other words what the Party wants to be reality. One day at work he is given an assignment to remove a person’s name from all documents because that person had been vaporized, which means that they have been removed from society. After removing the man from history, Winston decided to create a fictitious army veteran named Comrade Ogilvy. He realized that, “Comrade Ogilvy, who never existed in the present now existed in the past, and when once the act of forgery was forgotten, he would exist just as authentically, and upon the same evidence, as Charlemagne or Julius Caesar”(47-48). With just a few simple lines of text and a few faked pictures Winston could create anyone or anything. The Party’s decision to have …show more content…
The Thought Police are a group of officers that hunt people who show any sort of disrespect towards or disagreement with Big Brother or the Party. Whether it be it be a vocal protest or a small spasm at the wrong time, the Thought Police always catch thought criminals (people who commit thoughtcrime, and thought that goes against the Party’s beliefs and values). One of the most prominent tools that the Thought Police use is the telescreen. The telescreen is like a television but it only streams what the Party wants its citizens to watch. More importantly the telescreen also acts as a surveillance camera. Almost every place in Oceania has telescreens in it, watching the people at all times. At any time the Thought Police can plug into any telescreen. If they spot an unorthodox person, that person is deemed suspicious and would be taken by the Thought Police and vaporized. Early on in the novel when the scene of Oceania is being set the novel states, “A day never passed when spies and saboteurs acting under his directions were not unmasked by the Thought Police”(13). People who are threats and are no longer safe members of society are vaporized without warning. No matter the circumstance the Thought Police will catch any unorthodox citizen. Feeling hate towards the Party, Winston decides to lead a secret adventurous life with a woman named Julia who shares the same feeling