Keith Mack
In George Orwell's dystopian novel *1984*, the protagonist Winston lives in a society controlled by an oppressive socialist government that limits freedom of expression. Although there are no specific laws in this society, there are unwritten rules that severely limit personal freedoms. For example, if someone disagrees with the government, they are taken to the 'Ministry of Love' and either re-educated or killed. The government also monitors its citizens without their knowledge or consent, and prohibits them from owning books and documents that aren't 'Party approved'.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| No formal laws | Citizens are aware of unwritten rules |
| Citizens are taught that their behaviour is an expression of freedom | Citizens believe their oppression is freedom |
| Citizens are under constant surveillance | Citizens are under the control of the Party |
| Citizens are internally terrified | Citizens are absolutely subordinate |
| Citizens are arrested for thought crimes | Citizens are tortured |
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What You'll Learn
The absence of formal laws
In George Orwell's *1984*, there is an absence of formal laws. This paradoxically leads to arrests and vaporisations because it allows the Party to wield unlimited power and control. Although nothing is technically illegal, citizens are aware of unwritten rules, and any deviation from these norms can result in severe punishment. The Party uses propaganda to make the citizens of Oceania believe that their behaviour is an expression of their freedom. Through megascreens and pamphlets, people are led to believe that their daily actions create a society that is truly divine, free from crime, and the embodiment of human liberty and egalitarianism.
The main character, Winston Smith, feels the need to rebel against the Party by writing his thoughts in a book, which is a 'thought crime', and by being in a forbidden relationship with a woman named Julia. Winston's biggest fear was rats, so when the Thought Police finally arrested him for being a thought criminal, they used rats to break him.
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The unwritten rules
In George Orwell's 1984, there is an absence of formal laws. Instead, there are unwritten rules that citizens are expected to follow. These rules are enforced by the Party, which seeks to obliterate individual autonomy and freedom. Any deviation from these norms can result in severe punishment. The three main conflicts in the novel are Man vs. Society, Man vs. Technology, and Man vs. Man.
The first conflict, Man vs. Society, is represented by Winston Smith's struggle against the totalitarian regime of Big Brother. Winston feels the need to rebel against the Party by writing his thoughts in a book, which is a 'thought crime', and by being in a forbidden relationship with a woman named Julia. The Thought Police eventually arrest Winston for being a thought criminal, and they use his biggest fear (rats) to break him.
The second conflict, Man vs. Technology, is represented by the Party's use of surveillance to overpower its citizens. Through megascreens and propaganda pamphlets, the Party keeps its citizens under constant watch and control.
The third conflict, Man vs. Man, is represented by the internal struggle within Winston himself. He wants to maintain his individuality and freedom, but he is also aware of the consequences of deviating from the unwritten rules. This conflict ultimately leads to his arrest and 'vaporization'.
Overall, the unwritten rules in 1984 serve to reinforce the power and control of the Party. By keeping its citizens in a state of internalized terror and subordination, the Party is able to wield unlimited power and present its oppressive regime as a utopian society.
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Surveillance and control
In George Orwell's dystopian novel *1984*, the population of Oceania is under constant surveillance and control by the 'Party'. Although there are no formal laws, there are unwritten rules that citizens are expected to follow, and any deviation from these norms can result in severe punishment. The Party wields unlimited power and control, and the absence of laws paradoxically leads to arrests and 'vaporisations'.
The main character, Winston Smith, feels the need to rebel against the Party by writing his thoughts in a book, which is a 'thought crime'. He is also in a forbidden relationship with a woman named Julia. Winston's biggest fear is rats, and when he is arrested by the Thought Police for being a thought criminal, they use rats to break him.
The Party uses megascreens and propaganda pamphlets to spread their message throughout the city. Citizens are led to believe that their behaviour is an expression of their own freedom, and that their daily actions create a society that is truly divine, free from crime, and the embodiment of human liberty and egalitarianism.
Julia, on the other hand, has a different philosophy of life. She believes that "if you kept the small rules, you could break the big ones". This reveals that she is willing to conform to the Party's expectations in some ways, but also that she is willing to break the bigger rules when it matters to her.
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![Dystopia [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81UZ2qEEFgL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
The oppression of freedom
In George Orwell's dystopian novel *1984*, the population is oppressed by the 'government' (the 'Party') and under its constant surveillance. The Party wields unlimited power and control, and although nothing is technically illegal, citizens are aware of unwritten rules, and any deviation from these norms can result in severe punishment. The Party claims that Oceania is a lawless society, but this is ironic because it creates internalised terror and absolute subordination, making citizens believe their oppression is actually freedom.
The three main conflicts in *1984* are: Man vs. Society, as Winston struggles against a totalitarian regime that ultimately breaks him; Man vs. Technology, with the Party's surveillance overpowering; and Man vs. Self, as Winston battles his own mind, which has been manipulated by the Party. Winston's biggest fear was rats, so when the Thought Police finally arrested him for being a thought criminal, they used rats to break him. Winston said that the Thought Police would never be able to make him give up Julia, but once the rats were brought out, he broke extremely fast.
The citizens of Oceania are taught that their behaviour, their unbridled, euphoric love of Big Brother and the Party, are really just expressions of their own freedom. Through megascreens and propaganda pamphlets throughout the city, people are led to believe that their daily actions create a society that is truly divine, free from crime, and the embodiment of human liberty and egalitarianism.
Julia, a character in the novel, hands Winston a note, and he is initially shocked and suspicious. She lives by the philosophy that "if you kept the small rules, you could break the big ones".
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Thought crime
In George Orwell's 1984, there are no formal laws, but there are unwritten rules that citizens are expected to follow. Any deviation from these norms can result in severe punishment. The Party wields unlimited power and control, and citizens are taught that their behaviour is an expression of freedom.
The absence of formal laws creates a sense of internalised terror and absolute subordination. Citizens are led to believe that their oppression is actually freedom. They are taught that their unbridled, euphoric love of Big Brother and the Party is an expression of their own liberty. Through propaganda and surveillance, the Party maintains control and ensures that thought crimes are punished.
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Frequently asked questions
There are no laws in Oceania, the setting of 1984, but there are unwritten rules that severely limit personal freedoms. If someone is found to have disagreed with how the government (the Party) is running the society, then they are taken to the "Ministry of Love" and either re-educated or killed.
Non-governmental documents are viewed as evil by the Party and therefore they try to prohibit Party members from owning books and documents that aren't "Party approved".
If Winston, the novel's protagonist, is caught writing in his diary, "it was reasonably certain that it would be punished by death, or at least by twenty-five years in a forced-labor camp".
