How Does George Orwell Use Emotion In 1984

In any situation, no matter how futile it may seem, there is always a twinkle of hope. And with hope, there is always a possibility of turning the situation around. In George Orwell’s 1984, the Party is a power-hungry government. The government recognizes that emotions can overthrow the Party. So, they accordingly eliminate emotions. While they were mostly effective in eradicating feelings, such a task is not entirely possible. Hints of emotional expression are found throughout society. Despite the dreary society described in 1984, George Orwell suggests that there is hope for humanity by showing glimpses of emotional expression through Winston’s memories from the past, his love for Julia, and the proles ability to exhibit emotion freely.

He senses that they sacrificed themselves for him, meaning that they loved him. Winston believes that “tragedy...belonged to the ancient time, to a time when there was still privacy, love, and friendship” (30). While privacy, love, and friendship were more prevalent before his time, Winston is still able to feel tragic and love even through the Party’s oppression. Winston’s ability to feel various emotions represents hope for humanity. One of the Party’s methods for controlling the population is to rid of “dignity of emotion, or deep or complex sorrows” and replace them with “fear, hatred, and pain” (30). Through purging deep emotions, the Party is able to effectively control the population because the people do not understand that they were being oppressed and as a result not want to fight back. Winston, however, is still able to grasp these emotions of the past. This ability is a glimmer of hope for humanity because it demonstrates that the Party is not able to completely eliminate the emotions, which empowers the people to comprehend government

Although Winston is able to grasp the concept of love, he truly understands love when he is with Julia. Initially, Winston sees being with Julia as a political act against the Party. He believes that sex and intimacy goes against the constitutional beliefs of the Party and is therefore an act of defiance. However, as Winston spends more time with Julia, he falls in love. When Winston is caught by O’Brien, he endures prolonged torture without betraying Julia. Even when O’Brien breaks Winston down, “he had not stopped loving her; his feeling toward her had remained the same” (274). Although Winston goes on to betray Julia, he was still able to love. As someone who experienced love, Winston understands that his love symbolizes hope for humanity. Because Winston can love, there is a possibility that others within the Party can also experience emotions. Winston’s dream is for people to be free and openly express their emotions. The possibility that there are others that can feel brings Winston one step closer to achieving his dream. Emotions have the capacity to take down the totalitarian government because they give the people the ability to recognize oppression, which can lead to a revolution. Therefore, emotions are the key to