In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, cruelty is commonly used by the party to gain power over the nation of Oceania, which is used to create the overall theme of totalitarianism. The cruelty throughout the novel, which is seen in moments such as; when Winston, the main character, catches himself going against the ideals of the party, when Winston and Julia, Winston’s love interest, get caught together, and when Winston is sent to Room 101. This shows that cruelty creates a basis of fear in each person throughout the work as a whole. In the beginning of the novel Winston constantly finds himself committing thoughtcrime, which is when someone thinks of something that does not “align” with what the Party says. In moments such as when Winston finds himself writing “Down with Big Brother” over and over again in his journal and when he finds himself having sexual thoughts about Julia, cruelty is shown in the way that Winston thinks. When Winston has these thoughts he is afraid that he will be caught by the party and killed. Since the Party will do anything to keep power over the nation they will do whatever it takes to keep everyone in a twisted utopian world. This shows a sense of cruelty throughout the novel as each person …show more content…
Two people are not supposed to have feelings for or spend time with each other unless they have been granted the ability to get married, however, Winston and Julia sneak around and slowly fall in love with each other against the Party’s knowledge. However, they Party catches the two alone together after having sex and are forcefully taken away from each other. Cruelty can be seen in the way the thought police hit and kick Winston and Julia, and in the way they throw Julia over their shoulder and bag up Winston’s head to take them out of their hiding spot. This cruelty creates the power the Party wants over their