George Orwell 1984 Analysis

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Aspirations squandered

The wise Martin Luther King, Jr.’s expression on freedom is: “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed”. Throughout George Orwell’s classic dystopian literary work entitled 1984, Big Brother is synonymous with lack of freedom. In the beginning, O’Brien represents a hope for freedom for Oceania’s society. Winston strongly longs for a rebellion to reform Oceania’s society in result of Big Brother’s oppressiveness. Both of the aforementioned (Big Brother and O’Brien) further strip Winston of his freedom and humanity by initiating fear. Winston is robbed of particular freedoms due to Big Brother’s constant eye on society. Citizens are prohibited from certain clothing, activities, and relationships. For example, …show more content…
Under the “watchful eyes of Big Brother,” (“1984” 15) Winston’s human spirit diminishes. He detests that “Big Brother demands obedience and devotion of Oceania’s citizens” and holds the citizens accountable by “monitor[ing] the activities of people...in their homes or offices” (“1984” 5). The lack of freedoms under Big Brother fuels Winston’s deep-rooted hatred for Big Brother. Consequently, he seeks after people like O’Brien and organizations like the Brotherhood - which “cannot be wiped out because it is not an organization in the ordinary sense” (Orwell 176). Big Brother causes Winston to eventually realize he does not have as much freedom as he believes he does. Big Brother rules everything. In result, Winston submits to Big Brother’s ideology that “war is peace, freedom is slavery, [and] ignorance is strength” (Orwell 4). In the end, Winston learns that “what kind of smile was hidden beneath the dark mustache” (Orwell 297) and that he, now, “loved Big Brother” (Orwell 298) after winning “victory over himself ” (298) - thanks to

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