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1984 Proles Essay

877 Words4 Pages

How and why is a social group represented in a particular way?
In George Orwell’s book 1984 there is a social group known as the proles which are depicted as simpleminded and subservient to the Party, an elitist class that presides over a totalitarian government. The proles are represented this way as part of George Orwell’s warning to society, particularly the majority working class, about the dangers of passivity and the power of the masses. Orwell conveys this message through subtle comparisons of Oceania to Marxism and totalitarian regimes as well more direct assertions about governments of the past and present.
The name prole is an allusion to the proletariat class found in Marxism. In the Marxist ideology, proletariats are the working …show more content…

Orwell’s depiction of the proles is a warning against the romanticized ideals of Marxism, wherein everybody is equal and everybody works together for the common good. He includes an excerpt from Goldstein’s book The Theory and Practice on Oligarchical Collectivism, to highlight the fallibility of the governments that make great claims about their righteous intentions. The excerpt reads, “[The High] are then overthrown by the Middle, who enlist the Low on their side by pretending to them that they are fighting for liberty and justice. As soon as they have reached their objective the Middle thrust the Low back into their old position of servitude… no advance in wealth, no softening of manners, no reform or revolution has ever brought human equality a millimeter nearer” (202). Orwell is warning the real-world proles to not fall for the false promises of communism that are never upheld. This message is further enforced when Orwell reveals that Goldstein’s book was created by the Party, showing how these governments misrepresent the past to make the present seem superior, further undermining the credibility of their

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