ipl-logo

Examples Of Totalitarianism In 1984

719 Words3 Pages

A totalitarian government is a form of government in which the political authority exercises absolute control over the citizens in every way. In the novel, 1984 by George Orwell, he uses a futuristic totalitarian government to limit the thoughts of citizens. This controls the people into believing everything The Party says. The book takes place in a city called Oceania and is told in third person by a character named Winston. Orwell uses telescreens, a white chess piece, and a paperweight to describe the theme of having no freedom due to the government. Telescreens are the most visible symbol of monitoring. The Party has telescreens set up everywhere which constantly monitor every citizens move, making them have no privacy. They can see and …show more content…

It is thought to be a crime if someone is not moving or not doing the same actions as everyone else, and the government would certainly find out. The lack of freedom to move and do actions without being watched shows how the people have to give up their individualism to conform to how The Party wants them to …show more content…

White usually represents purity and goodness, but the white chess piece represents The Party and their corruption of the people. It is said that the white piece always wins, "Always, without exception, it is so arranged. In no chess problem since the beginning of the world has black ever won"(243). This quote shows how the people can't win because The Party, represented from the white, has won since it was created. All the black pieces, the people who are thought to have betrayed them, will always lose. Freedom will never win. The people live in fear and follow them because they are afraid of the consequences if they do not, and it limits their thoughts and their freedom since they can not act on their own instincts. Winston drops the white chess piece at the end when he gives in and believes fully in Big Brother. This is major character development for Winston because he has never believed in letting the white win until now. The white winning represents The Party having control over the minds of the people, always. Without the white winning, The Party would cease to exist because people would be free. Winston discovers a coral glass paperweight and he buys it. The paperweight has beautiful corals inside of it, but it can be saw from all angles. The people can be saw at all times, showing their lack of privacy.

Open Document