1984 George Orwell Analysis

A writer’s work does more than just give information about what the particular piece is about. It also gives insight to the writer himself. For example, a narration does not just tell a story. A narration also conveys to the reader what the writer is like through the style of writing and themes in the narration. A writer’s work can communicate what he cares about and what his outlook on life is. George Orwell is such a writer whose outlook may be determined through analyzation of his works. Orwell’s works reveal that his outlook on life is that everyone should be able to fully hold onto their humanity. They should be allowed to think for themselves, express themselves, and make decisions knowing that they are completely their own. This outlook

The aim of this new language was to “narrow the range of thought” by restraining the speakers from any words that could be used to express themselves fully (52). Newspeak was able to manipulate the truth into something not as harsh through its vague phrases and ambiguity. It withheld speakers from the whole truth, and in doing so, withheld them from full freedom of expression and ability to be fully

Both those with power and without power were changed by the threat of the “Ministry of Love”, which was in charge of torturing those who rebelled against the Party. Those with power had dealt the torture to prisoners that they may have not dealt if not under the tyranny of Oceania’s system. O’Brien is an example of one who dealt such torture. He had pretended to be part of the Brotherhood, a vigilante group against the Party, in order to trick Winston. He captured Winston and tortured him to mold him into a compliant Party member. When Winston exclaimed that the Party had “got [O’Brien] too”, O’Brien replied that they had “got [him] a long time ago”, implying that O’Brien was once against the Party as well (238). He was most likely previously against the Party but had faced a similar situation that Winston was facing: being physically and psychologically tortured to the point of fully submitting to the Party’s wishes. It was a vicious cycle; someone rebels and is then tortured by someone who had rebelled and then either submits to the Party by becoming the torturer or turning a blind eye when someone else is tortured. If the victim did not submit then he simply endured gradually worsening pain, but it was far more likely that the victim submitted to and was brainwashed by the Party through the Ministry of Love. It happened to O’Brien, and it