Examples Of Paranoia In George Orwell's 1984

Did George Orwell’s 1984 predict the future or simply recognize common trends among moments of high political tension? Over time, the novel 1984 and its ideas have become more and more relevant. While yes, Orwell did in a way predict the future, his analysis of society and the behaviors of people during times of war are the reason for the relevance of his ideas today. 1984 centers around Winston Smith, a middle aged man living in an oppressive society. Winston is one of the few citizens who recognizes the manipulative nature of the government, the Party. Because of his opposition to the Party’s ideas and their leader, Big Brother, the Party arrests and tortures him. The Party, as well as Winston, are written to critique the actions of

Orwell’s dystopia filled with skepticism and paranoia reflects the real paranoiac world that existed during World War II and the Cold War. Two types of paranoia existed in Orwell’s dystopian nation, Oceania: the paranoia of citizens and the paranoia of the Party. The people of Oceania had to be robots, because they could be prosecuted if they thought or acted out of line with the Party’s beliefs. While this already would be difficult, the people of Oceania were under constant surveillance as Winston explained, “There was of course no way of knowing whether or not you were being watched at any given moment” (Orwell 6). Factors such as never knowing when one was being watched contributes to the paranoia of the dystopia and emphasizes the oppressive nature of the Party. While the Party was oppressive, their oppressiveness

One of the Party’s most effective tactics was the building of new social stereotypes. Walter Lippmann notes the effect these stereotypes have on society: “… a disturbance of the stereotypes seems like an attack upon the foundations of the universe” (Gonzales 102). Governments throughout history have worked to create new societal norms that support their own beliefs. This strategy causes anyone who revolts against the norm to be ostracized by society and gives the government a reason to punish someone without looking cruel. 1984 portrays this concept when Jones, Aaronson, and Rutherford revolted against the Party and its oppressive, inhumane strategies and were arrested, tortured, and killed because of it. Although they were standing up for what was right, they were seen as criminals by society and convicted with no objections from the public because they broke one of Oceania’s stereotypes. This group of revolters are comparable to an anti-nazi protest group that existed in Nazi Germany during World War II called the White Rose. This group, consisting of Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl, Christoph Probst, Will Graf, and Alexander Schmorell, were brave enough to speak out against Germany and their genocidal policies. They spread their ideas through informational leaflets in an attempt to turn society against Nazi Germany and their oppressive, discriminatory