Thoughtcrime is the criminal act of holding unspoken beliefs or doubts that oppose or question the ruling party. This is a main theme in George Orwell’s novel, 1984. Thoughtcrime was the thought of anything that the Thought Police and the Party deemed as illegal. Anything illegal can be described as anything that creates individuality, which was not the best thing for the Party as a whole. Thoughtcrime was created so that Party members would remain isolated so that no one would band together and rebel like the Proles. The Party is unflawed in its universal control over society, as evidenced by its ability to break even an independent thinker such as Winston Smith. The party mastered every aspect of psychological control, largely through utilizing …show more content…
It is the crime of having incorrect thoughts. In the case of this society, it means having basically any thoughts that are not approved. So Winston is committing thoughtcrime when he writes "Down with Big Brother" because that is not a thought that is permitted. One can be guilty of thoughtcrime just by talking in their sleep, if they say the wrong thing. Someone can even be guilty of Thought crime if they feel sexual desire. Through the Thought police the party controls the citizens. The Though Police are the people who enforce the laws against thoughtcrime. They listen to people's phone calls, and watch them on the …show more content…
If there's one thing we learn from the story, it's that there are a lot of different ways a person can be tortured. Beyond the traditional physical suffering, we also see examples of mind control, brainwashing, and indoctrination as effective methods of torture. O’Brien’s description of power as "a boot stamping on a human face" is misguided, because power is more about influence and authority than victory over resistance. This is the Party’s fatal flaw in 1984. 1984 demonstrates that totalitarianism is a devastating political agenda, because it is necessarily dependent upon fear, classism, and physical torture. Without these elements, the Party would have no