Oppression In 1984

“Always the eyes watching you and the voice enveloping you. Asleep or awake, working or eating, indoors or out of doors, in the bath or in bed - no escape. Nothing was your own except the few cubic centimetres inside your skull” (Orwell, 25). This depiction of absolute oppression by George Orwell in his novel 1984 is his idea of the future in a totalitarian dystopian world where there is no freedom, fairness and everyone is completely brainwashed. Similarly, the government in Terry Gilliams movie Brazil control and monitor their citizens, oppressing them to the point they are afraid to have a disloyal thought about their government, reminiscent of thought crime. Though Orwell writes about a nightmarish and purely fascist government whose aim

Governmental oppression continues to be represented through the texts 1984 and Brazil through the relationships of the characters. In 1984, for quite some time Winston Smith believed Julia was apart of the anti-sex party and that she was of the many brainwashed citizens. Winston’s first time seeing Julia out of the office he sees her wondering around in the proletarian area and he immediately believes she has followed him and she must be part of the thought police, he also considers bashing her head in with a brick but immediately dismisses this idea and rushes home; “He could keep on her track till they were in some quiet place, and then smash her skull in with a cobblestone” (Orwell, 84). This idea that Winston even thought to bash someones head in because he may be turned in to the police represents the oppression the law has on all its citizens. Once Julia has given Winston the note that says ‘I love you’ on it, they begin meeting each other in private, but Winston is not sexually attracted to Julia like she is to him; “Their embrace had been a battle, the climax a victory. It was a blow against the part. It was a political act” (Orwell, 104). In 1984 relationships are forbidden, unless to only reproduce children for the party, making Winston and Julia’s relationship extremely

In 1984 and Brazil, both couples are captured by their ministries and taken away. In Brazil Julia is killed immediately after but Sam is tortured, similarly as Winston and Julia are tortured. Though throughout the entire time Sam is being tortured, he is not concerned for his own well being but for Jills asking if she is okay, at this point not knowing she has already been killed; “Where is she?” (Brazil), referring to Jill. Whereas Winston begs them to stop and to do it to anybody else, even Julia; “Do it to Julia! Do it to Julia! Not me! Julia! I don 't care what you do to her. Tear her face off, strip her to the bones. Not me! Julia! Not me!”(Orwell, 230). Both of these male protagonists follow similar paths and end up at similar destinations, though respond very differently in the end. Sam is able to die with a clear conscience knowing he did all he could for Julia, but Winston dies with the guilt he’d rather this torture be done to his ‘true love’ than himself. This idea that the people in both of these relationships died due to the governments laws shows the oppression of their governments and their dictation