How Is Betrayal Shown In 1984

874 Words4 Pages

In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, betrayal is an important recurring theme. In the superstate of Oceania, a tyrant called Big Brother rules over everyone under a Totalitarian regime. Big Brother expects absolute loyalty and those who do not obey Big Brother are punished. Trust in Oceania is almost non existent. No one can be trusted because they could be reported to Big Brother by someone else. In fact, it is understood that betrayal is common as there are many people who may be working for the Thought Police. Betrayal occurs on several instances in the novel as everyone is out to protect themselves to please the Party. In Oceania, the Party attempts to maintain total control over everyone and their thoughts via the Thought Police. In fact, …show more content…

She listened at the keyhole. Heard what I was saying, and nipped off to the patrols the very next day. Pretty smart for a nipper of seven, eh?” (Orwell 245) Mr.Parsons refers to his daughter as his “little girl” which shows his affectionate side towards his daughter.It is common to display affection in various ways like Mr.Parson's did.Typically, a relationship between a parent and a child is very loving and strong. However, the Parsons’ daughter doesn’t value her own father over her loyalty to the party. She went as far as to listen to her father through a keyhole which is very sneaky as Mr. Parsons would have not even known that she was spying on him the whole time, hence the term Junior Spy. Mr.Parsons also uses the word “nipper” to describe his daughter and as he was being taken by the police. Traditionally, a nipper is a name given to a creature or insect that can bite or hold something in its claws like a crab or lobster. The Parsons’ daughter was able to catch her father rebelling against Big Brother and the Thought Police also caught Mr.Parsons’ after he was sold out. In reality, family never sell each other out, but in Oceania, the horrifying truth is that even family can’t trust each other, and betrayal should be