Examples Of Manipulation In 1984 By George Orwell

Nowadays, it’s hard to escape the psychological manipulation, whether from government officials attempting to get elected, app companies convincing kids to make in-app purchases, and political articles that are either intended to hurt or harm someone. In 1984, the Party’s usage of psychological manipulation is why they have kept their power for so long. They exploit the vulnerability of children, use fear and information to influence the common people and torture their enemies into submission.

Orwell believes that children are the easiest people to manipulate, and shows how they can be manipulated so easily. The Party understands how to influence the fragile minds of children, convincing them that being in the Party is like being in a fun

I’ll send you to the salt mines!” To the child, he thinks that killing Winston is a fun idea, not realizing the malevolence of what he is saying. Orwell is trying to tell us that children fail to see the seriousness of violence, and they think of violence as a way to express power over someone, something that the Party encourages. The Party magnifies the violent urges children have, and promotes the Party as a place where you can torture and kill any thought-criminals or traitors they want. Winston is frightened by this child, and describes him as, “an ungovernable little savage.” It is interesting how Winston calls the child ungovernable, as that would indicate that they are not loyal to the Party, and are too unpredictable to be controlled. But as enticed by the singing, banners, slogans, and other ways that the Party promotes themselves. Orwell suggests that children see everything as fun and games, and they therefore ignore the seriousness of the situation that Winston sees. What Winston sees

When Winston is brought into the Ministry of Love, he is subjected to both psychological and physical torture, in the attempt to convert him into a loyal subject of the Party. The first time that the Party breaks him is when O’Brien holds up four fingers, but Winston sees five, to O’Brien’s delight. This moment is the first crack in Winston’s view of reality, and the idea that the Party can say that two plus two equal five has been echoed throughout the book as a fear of Winston’s. On Page 81, he says that, “Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four.” In his mind, his power over the Party is his knowledge of reality, which the Party begins to strip away from him. Orwell suggests that while people have principles that they believe they will die for, in reality, physical pain can break any man. The last breaking point for Winston is in Room 101, where he is confronted with his worst fear: rats. As O’Brien is about to let the rats bite Winston’s face, he finally betrays Julia, the woman he loved, out of fear. The Party eventually breaks Winston using physical and psychological torture, and he goes to the Chestnut Tree Cafe, where he says, “He had won the victory over himself.” At this point, he no longer feels manipulated by the Party, and instead feels that he has manipulated himself. After entering the Ministry of Love, Winston genuinely loves the