Big Brother In George Orwell's 1984

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Imagine having a TV in a room that watches every move that a citizen makes and can hear anything that one says, well that is what it is like in the novel 1984. A common theme that is seen throughout the novel is that the government controls the people. Winston is awakening by a raspy voice coming from the telescreen. The voice calls out, “Thirty to forty group! Take your places, please. Thirties to forties” (Orwell 31). Occasionally, the party schedules a random date throughout the month in which they call each group. Those groups have no clue when they will be called upon. Since there is a telescreen in every one of the groups rooms, the government takes advantage of this and can check in on every individual in Oceania. The people of Oceania …show more content…

While walking the gloomy decaying streets of Oceania the people always come upon posters of Big Brother. Winston explains what it is like to walk in those streets and states, “The poster with the enormous face gazed from the wall. It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move” (Orwell 2). Big Brother is the face of the party. Just the presence of being surrounded by Big Brothers face displays how much power one individual could demonstrate. To some of the people of Oceania Big Brother is a symbol of protection as if he is watching over the people. Spark notes claims, “The presence of telescreens in every room reminds citizens that they are constantly being observed, and all live in fear that their neighbors, coworkers, or even family members will report them to the thought police” (“Reality Control” 1). Whatever the people say or do, it could be reported to the thought police from neighbors, coworkers, or even the telescreen. Whenever the people are accused of thought crime there is no way in getting out of the crime even if the people did it or not. If the people confess to the crime they get shot, but if they don’t confess they will get shot either way. The presence of Big Brother might be shown throughout Oceania, but the Parties slogan is seen just about …show more content…

Winston is being tortured by O’Brien. To get out of the situation Winston shouts in fear, “Do it to Julia” (Orwell 286). O’Brien knows that Winston hates rats so O’Brien’s torture involves using rats. Even though this act of torture isn’t horrified enough for some people, it is enough to torment Winston. For Winston to throw Julia under the bus is his way of expressing self-preservation. No matter how many people Julia has had sex with it make Winston love her even more. Winston tells Julia, “Listen. The more men you’ve had, the more I love you” (Orwell 125). Winston meets Julia out in the woods and as they are making love he has dreamt about a passionate sexual encounter just like the one he is having right now. When Julia tells Winston she has done this many more times he is immediately sexually aroused by this. Even though it is against the law in Oceania to have sex this is Winston’s way of rebelling against the Party. Julia and Winston express their rebellion to the party in a similar way. Clarke states, “Julia’s rebellion is primarily sexual, in contrast to Winston’s more intellectual opposition, she is, in Winston’s word, “a rebel from the waist down” (Clarke 1). Winston uses thought crime to write in his diary for his rebellion. In which, Julia uses a sexual way to rebel against the Party. What Winston’s meaning by calling Julia a rebel from the waist down is that she uses her body parts that are located from the waist