1984 Literature Analysis

"“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.” - Carl Sagan

1. In the year 1984, the world is in a state of moral and physical decay. Big Brother, and more notably, The Party control all of Oceania. They have hidden cameras, microphones and telescreens to watch every citizen of every second of every day. They imprison, kill or metamorphosize anyone who apposes Big Brother. They have Thought Police at every corner, dissimulating as ordinary citizens, so as to catch anyone with "undesirable" motives or thoughts. They have corrupted little kids to be young members of the Thought Police, and to snitch on anyone who says anything against Big Brother or his ideals. The Party continually shapes, erases and reforms history to suit the current situation, as Big Brother is never wrong. The Party has succeeded at oppressing the citizens without them knowing, and has found ways to prevent any revolution from occurring. The story takes place in London, with the poor living off of less and less as the years go by. Dilapidated buildings cover all of London, threatening to break at any moment. Rations are constantly going down, with almost no one noticing. Oceania is broken into three classes: the Inner Party, the Outer Party and the Proles. Winston Smith, the main character, is a member of the Outer Party. Unlike most people, such as Syme or Parsons, Winston is not a loyal subjugate to Big Brother. He knows that Big Brother is a liar and a cheat, but has no where to vent out his feelings. However, that all changes when Winston meets the love of his life, Julia. Together, they form a bondage, with both of them opposing Big Brother, albeit for different reasons. However, their bondage goes too far when they believe that O'Brien is a member of "The Brotherhood", a political organization created so as to overthrow Big Brother. O'Brien tricks them into believing he is a member of the Brotherhood, and eventually has them imprisoned by the Thought Police for opposing Big Brother. In the Ministry of Love, he tortures both of them, physically and mentally, to the point where Julia and Winston are both willing to betray one another and acclimate themselves into The Party. They are willing to forget all form of logical thought and educate themselves on Ingsoc and "doublespeak". In an essence, they are willing to eliminate their identity as an individual so as to become part of the Party. The story ends with both of them confessing that they betrayed the other, and Winston becoming so venerated with Big Brother that "He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother." (pg. 245) He was no longer Winston, but a "yes man" to Big Brother. Orwell was worried that governments would take over the lives of humans, and attempt to control them. From this worry stemmed 1984, a satire and a warning of what would happen if humanity did not learn from its mistakes and attack the problem at its root while it hadn't grown to the point of no return.

2.The theme of the novel is a warning against governments and what happens when they are given too much power. That one mus limit the amount of control a government has on the average citizen if he/she wishes to retain self-autonomy. "Absolute power corrupts absolutely" so to speak. And that it is through the citizens, and the citizens only, that change can be made because the aristocrats have one goal and one goal only: to stay in power as long as possible, and prevent anyone else from reaching that power. It is also a warning against the elimination of knowledge, as those that control the knowledge control the people, and against the many and dubious ways governments will try to manipulate you. It is also a demonstration of the attitudes of many people today. Much like the proles, most people believe anything the government says without even a second glance, even if it contradicts their earlier statements.

3. The tone throughout the novel is one of seriousness and generally melancholy and hopelessness. There is isn't much hope in this world, nor is there any reason to believe there will be hope in the future. The world is in disrepair and there is no one to inspire the people to rise from the ashes. "Were there always these vistas of rotting nineteenth-century houses, their sides shored up with balks of timber, their windows patched with cardboard and their roofs with corrugated iron, their crazy iron walls sagging in all directions?" (pg. 7)
"'Look at the condition you are in!' [O'Brien] said. 'Look at the filthy grime all over your body. Look at the dirt between your toes. Look at that disgusting running sore on your leg. Do you know you stink like a goat?...Look at your emaciation. Do you see? I can make my thumb and forefinger meet around your bicep. I could snap your neck like a carrot. Do you know that you have lost twenty-five kilograms since you have been in our hands? Even your hair is coming out in handfuls. Look!... Open your mouth. Nine, ten, eleven teeth left. How many had you when you came to us? And the few you have left are dropping out of your head. Look here!'...'You are rotting away,' he said; 'you are falling to pieces. What are you? A bag of filth?.. Do you see that thing facing you? That is the last man. If you are human, that is humanity..." (p.224)
"But if [slavery] did not exist, the structure of world society, and the process by which it maintains itself, would not be essentially different." (p. 155) By presenting a dystopia with no hope of a better future, Orwell is able to better establish a tone of despair and bleakness, in the hopes that through this despair we can rise from its ashes and correct ourselves so 1984 is only a measure of "what-could-be" versus "what-is".

4. Literary Elements:
Verbal irony - The Ministry of Truth, The Ministry of Love, The Ministry of Plenty and The Ministry of Peace. This is an example of verbal irony in that The Ministry of Truth creates lies and propaganda, The Ministry of Love tortures and executes criminals, The Ministry of Plenty rations goods, and The Ministry of Peace is concerned with waging war with Eurasia or Eastasia.
Flashback - " [Winston] never saw his mother again. After he had devoured the chocolate he felt somewhat ashamed of himself ... When he came back his mother had disappeared..." (p. 135)
Symbolism - The coral paperweight symbolizes capitalism and the occasional goodness that it can produce. Not all of capitalism is bad, contrary to Big Brother, and at one point could be beautiful.
Irony - "The earthly paradise had been discredited at exactly the moment when it became realizable." (pg. 168)
Anaphora - "Look at the condition you are in! Look at the filthy grime all over your body. Look at the dirt between your toes..." (pg. 224)
Oxymoron - "War is peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength." (pg. 7)
Setting -  "Were there always these vistas of rotting nineteenth-century houses, their sides shored up with balks of timber, their windows patched with cardboard and their roofs with corrugated iron, their crazy iron walls sagging in all directions?" (pg. 7)
Foreshadowing - "One of these days, thought Winston with sudden deep conviction, Syme will be vaporized." (pg. 47)
Paradox - "doublethink" the concept of both believing and disbelieving an ideology/statement at the same time.
Style - Orwell is very matter-of-fact in his writing style. This prevents any fluff/filler to enter the story, and prevents any over-long metaphors or symbolism  from weakening the story. He is trying to warn us of impending doom, and the best way to do it is to be as blunt as possible. Flowery language only gets you so far.

Characterization (not yet done)
2. Orwell is a consistent writer. He does not fluctuate his syntax or diction based on the situation at hand. His writing is terse and blunt, and his descriptions of his characters are terse and blunt. He is not one for flowery language, nor should one expect to find any.

3. Winston Smith is a dynamic, round character. In the beginning, he is a timid man who wants to go against Big Brother, but doesn't have the guts. By the time he meets Julia, he finally has "just like Jesus, I'm growing a pair" and secretly starts venting against Big Brother, albeit in his secret diary. He starts breaking the "tabooed actions" (in Oceania, there are no official rules, as established rules demonstrate oppression). It gets to the point where he even "joins" the Brotherhood, an organization created for the sole purpose of defiling and overthrowing Big Brother. By the end, however, his whole mentality has changed. Due to torture and brainwashing by O'Brien, Winston has convinced himself that Big Brother is good, and that O'Brien is a benevolent being. He has acclimated himself into the attitudes of the Inner Party, with a mind as distinguishable as a Prole. Winston has emotions, he has feelings. He is a real person, not some random citizen in Grand Theft Auto.
4. However, as much as Winston is a dynamic, round character, I still came off believing I had read a character than actually met one. The big key for me was that, save for a few flashbacks, almost nothing is known of Winston beforehand. I don't know his backstory, I don't know him, period. He is "The Dovakhiin": I know him while I see him, while I play him. I understand him throughout the course of the story. But I don't really know him. I don't know his backstory, I don't know what makes him tick, I don't know anything except what the story wants me to know.