Fear In 1984

“War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength” (Orwell 17). The chilling dystopia presented in 1984 exemplifies the malicious nature of totalitarian governments in their pursuit of power and the various methods implemented to achieve control over the population. Using psychological manipulation and fear through war, falsehoods, and torture, Big Brother retains absolute control over one’s thoughts and actions, and thus strips the individual of humanity. Although the society illustrated in George Orwell’s novel seems implausible, Orwell aimed to reflect certain aspects of the time period in which he lived and warn readers of the impending future he foresaw. The rise of tyrannical governments during the 1940s, such as Hitler in Germany

Incessant war plagues Oceania for the duration of the novel, “which kept the citizens in a constant state of mobilization and alert. Exploding bombs kept the citizens in an actual state of perpetual fear and the continuous warfare distracted them from thinking about the oppressiveness of their actual society,” which exemplifies the role of fear in a totalitarian government to exploit citizens and thus maintain power (Kellner 8). Similarly, individuals who pose a threat to societal institutions of Big Brother endure psychological torture until conformity, as Winston ultimately gives in to the facts of the Party following intense torture, reflecting the practices of governments in terrifying citizens into submission (Orwell 206). Overall, Orwell strived to illustrate the fear implemented by malevolent dictators of Orwell’s time, as “Stalin ruled with an iron fist, and was famous for his midnight purges...Adolf Hitler, in Germany, had slaughtered his enemies as well,” encompassing the power of fear and the danger it presents to a society (Stanley 243). Moreover, “Orwell's rediscovery of his sense of patriotism deepened his understanding of how fascism had used patriotic and nationalist concepts to win over the masses,” highlighting another crucial aspect of 1984,

“Winston finally comes face to face with the Party's monstrous and irresistible final aim: to stamp out utterly the last vestiges of human individuality and independence of thought, all in the name of the unalloyed and unapologetic pursuit of absolute power,” stating the intention of totalitarian governments as annihilating free thinking and therefore preventing the downfall of their regime (Scaliger 30). Additionally, “ Much of Orwell’s success in 1984 lies in his creating a plausible description of how totalitarianism can destroy the individual and turn him into an automaton...terror is not a nightmare; terror is a realistic possibility,” thus showing the impact of Orwell’s novel despite the passage of time, as his dystopia becomes increasingly imminent through the ages (Thorp 16). Specifically, 1984 recognizes the consequences of totalitarianism upon the lives of numerous individuals, including betrayal of families when Tom Parsons gets convicted of thoughtcrime by his own children and Winston and even the betrayal of Julia and Winston, who had previously abhorred the Party’s ideals, ultimately proving the power of the unrelentless government to eradicate every trace of rebellion (Orwell 192, 213). Considering the effects of