Government Abuse Of Power In 1984 And The Selection

Imagine having many, if not all aspects of your life controlled by the government and having very little freedom. Well, this is how life was like for the characters in both George Orwell's novel 1984 and Kiera Cass's, The Selection. Government control and abuse of power is a theme most present in both of these novels. 1984 Is a book that portrays a dystopian society where the government controls citizens' lives and individualism is suppressed. The Selection is also a novel about a futuristic dystopian society in which social class and politics are heavily controlled by the monarchy. Both pieces demonstrate the theme of government control and abuse of power and the dangers of centralized power. This theme is presented throughout these books

One way the theme of government abuse of power is demonstrated is by placing individuals into social classes. In 1984 Citizens were categorized by proles, party members and inner party members. Proles are like a working class whereas inner party members are the most valued members of society in this novel because, ¨in the ranks of the Party, and above all of the Inner Party, that the true war enthusiasm is found. World-conquest is believed in most firmly by those who know it to be impossible¨ (Orwell 216.) This demonstrates how due to the level of service that an individual may provide to the government, they are viewed as better or worse. Inner party members are chosen because they demonstrate extreme loyalty to the party. That is all. It does not matter the kind of person you are as long as

Winston, who is an outer party member, has a certain uniform. This is to distinguish the classes of this society. His uniform consisted of blue overalls which were the uniform of the party¨(2). This demonstrates how each class is supposed to wear something that is given to them by the government. Furthermore, the government is very strict on what the people of the party can and cannot wear. In the selection, all thirty five girls are also required to wear similar outfits and clothes only received from the palace. The first morning at the palace America said that ¨The next morning, I dressed myself in the uniform of the selected black pants, white shirt, and my Province flower a lily in my hair¨(2) This shows that she wore the uniform given to her by government officials which in this case were the monarchy of Illea. The monarchy cares deeply about how the girls will appear to the public eye and they must wear what the palace is providing to not only distinguish them but to impress the public and cameras. Both novels show how the government is so restricting and abusive that it will not allow people the freedom to choose what they wear. they must conform to the party. It matters what you wear to the government so you have a certain public