Dystopia In George Orwell's 1984

The functionality of a dystopia depends on the conformity of its people; its downfall is when the people can no longer be controlled in thought, word, and deed. This concept is reflected throughout George Orwell’s novel 1984. The book details the life of Winston Smith, who does not conform to the standards set by the totalitarian government of Oceania, the Party. Winston is a functionary in the government, and throughout the book he engages in unorthodox behavior not only in thought but in deed as well, as he has an affair with another unorthodox woman named Julia and seeks out a mysterious rebellion movement. However, the Party has methods of monitoring the day-to-day lives of civilians, and eventually Winston and Julia are captured and tortured

This idea is pervasive throughout the entire story. At its impetus, the book includes details such as police helicopters patrolling the streets at night, and telescreens that “watched everybody all the time” (Orwell 3). This constant monitoring allowed the government to watch for any sign of physical disloyalty, and people can be arrested for lack of enthusiasm or improper facial expressions. The Party also mandates physical exercise in the mornings and long workdays in mindless jobs, as well as extracurricular activities after work that serve the Party, such as the Junior Antisex league. The Party also leaves its citizens living in squalor, with a paucity of food: “he was aware that there was no food in the kitchen except a hunk of dark-colored bread which had got to be saved for tomorrow’s breakfast” (Orwell 5). As a result, the citizens generally lack the energy and free time to engage in unorthodox behavior. The Party also uses psychological components to enforce orthodoxy; they control all recorded information and are constantly rewriting history. This ensures that the only remnants of the truth are fragments of memory in the minds of those who are old enough to recall. As a result, the citizens are compliant and willing to accept the party line as truth and reality. The government sponsors the Junior Spies program, in which the children “were

Winston is thoroughly unorthodox. He not only engages in unorthodox thoughts that are punishable by death, otherwise known as thoughtcrime, but unorthodox actions such as buying and keeping a diary and having an affair with Julia. Winston has an obsession with the concepts of history and the future in which he imagines the Party will be removed from power; he writes his diary “for the future, for the unborn” (Orwell 7). Winston is resentful of how his individuality is stifled, and he lacks enthusiasm for the Party. It is implied throughout the novel that Winston has never been a truly orthodox individual, with references to his marriage to a woman named Katharine, which happened before the events of the novel. Winston despises Katharine because of her orthodoxy, and even goes so far as to recount to Julia how he fantasized about pushing her off a cliff. Winston has an exceptional awareness of self and history; he does not blindly accept what the Party says as truth if he has experience or evidence to the contrary. In one instance, the Party lowers the chocolate ration and then promulgates the idea that the ration was actually raised. Winston is the only one who can recall the truth. As a result of Winston’s intelligence and perspective, the reader is able to truly grasp the degree of control and manipulation that the Party has over its people. Furthermore,