1984 Essay Research Paper 1984 EssayThe individual

1984 Essay, Research Paper 1984 Essay The individual is doomed to a desire for power, in a world where power is unattainable. In 1949 Eric Arthur Blair published a novel called 1984, under his pseudonym George Orwell. This is a book that has many underlying themes to it, and among the themes is the power struggle that exists between the characters and the government. Orwell reiterates the notion about a power struggle in the plot, the settings, and the characters. Absolute power corrupts absolutely; this is the unfailing truth that is proven once and again in this novel. Near the beginning of the novel Orwell introduces Winston Smith, the main character of his book. Winston works in the Ministry of Truth altering documents from the past. Winston does not share the views of

the other Outer Party members, but due to the fear instilled in him he does not share his feelings with anyone else he works with. Instead he keeps his opinions to himself, and tries to fit in only enough to not arouse suspicion. Near the beginning Winston also runs into a woman, named Julia, that he dislikes, but later falls in love with. Julia also does not agree with the Big Brother government, but she goes out of her way to fit into the mold of the ideal Party member. Just looking at these two characters shows us that power is at the root of all people, but that is also one of the things that Big Brother is working to eliminate. By breaking people, and showing them that power is unattainable, Big Brother hopes to bring the party members to a point where they will no longer

fight against the party s power, but will rather accept it. Winston and Julie represent what happens to the few, who do not accept what is told them and try to rebel against the current power. They strive after power, not realizing that it is the hatred of the absolute power that set them into rebellion in the first place. They rebel in as many things as they can, all the while wondering in what way they can help themselves, their ambition is self serving. For instance when Winston starts volunteering at the munitions plant, he only does so to his own benefit, so he can have a deeper cover as the ideal citizen. Defying the rules about sex only for the purpose of defying the government, not for love or lust, just defiance, shows us how very much Winston and Julia are power hungry.

Power hungry for their own power, how much power they can assume they only way they know how, defiance of Big Brother. It doesn t matter to them how the defiance is achieved, they only know that they do not like what the party does, so they want to rebel. They both long to join the Brotherhood, a fictitious group of rebels founded by Samuel Goldstein, which is their only hope of survival to relish power in their plight against Big Brother. Although in the end Winston loses this battle to the party because of the Party s power, controlling the past, the present and in some degrees the future. Controlling the minds of its members, because as O Brien tells Winston, the only truth exists in the mind. And the Party controls the mind, so in truth they control the truth. It is also

stated in the book that whoever controls the present controls that past. This is true because the only things we have to remind us of the past are documents that are in the present, but when the documents are controlled then the past is controlled along with it. In the end Winston s fears of becoming an unperson . All he can think about is a fate worse than death but, annihilation . How could you make appeal to the future when not a trace of you could physically survive? (Orwell, p.29) The Party eliminates anyone who dares to confront them, this leads to the capture of Winston and Julia by the thought police in their room, and they are shocked to find how many of the Thought Police they knew and trusted as fellow rebels. Big Brother represents ultimate power by all the ways it