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Oppression Of Truth In 1984 By George Orwell

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In Goerge Owell’s masterpiece novel, 1984, the characters struggle an internal battle against the rules imposed by INGSOC against their freedom. Often simple freedom, personal identity, and truth can be difficult to identify when one is not provided, but restricted from information. This is often unnoticeable until one breaks free of the flock, and opens their eyes to what is presented as truth. This internal struggle against constant rules and the manipulation of truth is experienced when we look closely at the characters' actions throughout the story. This internal battle for freedom, personal identity, and the truth is shown when we look at the characters Big Brother, Winston, and Julia.
This novel is based around a totalitarian organization, …show more content…

But he is simply a figurehead to keep everyone's freedom under control, and the party forever in power. As the party slogan, supported by Big Brother states “War is peace/Freedom is slavery/Ignorance is truth” (Orwell 4). Big Brother's job is to be an inspiration and portrait of a perfect man who follows the party's gilded path. But this Gilded Path is a path of control, where so much as thinking is a crime; for one to be successful they must do, not think. As the party believes such thought is freedom, and “Freedom is slavery” (4), so people must stay ignorant. The people of the party don't think twice about what is said, as if it's the party's words, it's the only truth that matters. By following the party blindly they are ignorant to all else, but as the party states “Ignorance is freedom” (4) a “truth” the people follow blindly. This system is made possible by doublethink, where the truth is changed often enough that it leaves only memories, but memories cannot be trusted as they rot with time. But following blindly is not enough for the party, “You hate him. Good. Then the time has come for you to take the last step. You must love Big Brother. It is not enough to obey him: you must love him” (295). Following without means is a weak ideology, which …show more content…

Though initially portrayed as someone who accepted the parties’ complete control, she rebels in her own way, finding refuge in small acts of defiance and pleasure. As Julia shared with Winston, "I'm corrupt to the bones" (132), expressing her distaste, and rejection of the party's gilded path of purity, and goodness. Unlike Winston, Julia characterized her individuality by her personal pursuit of pleasure, and immediate gratification, in defiance of the Party's imposed restrictions on sexuality and relationships. These actions serve as a form of defiance, providing a temporary sense of individuality and freedom from the suffocating grip of the party. "I'm not interested in the next generation, dear. I'm interested in us" (132). This shows that her interest lies in carving out an identity separate from the oppressive party, not in the freedom of the future generations. In a society where individuality is suppressed, Julias actions show her human desire for personal identity and self-expression. Even under the complete control of the party, Julia’s shows that human actions and thoughts can be compressed, but human nature for individuality, and personal freedom cannot be compressed and there will always be those whose minds break free of their

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Julia replies, "We are not dead yet" (187). Never looking past the moment she is in, Julia is positive and lively that they are not endangered for rebelling against the Party. From reading and analyzing Julia, you would think her main interests and concern would only be to rebel. Rebelling is a part of it, but she is more interested in what she can get out of rebelling against the Party. She is concerned with sex and the pleasures that comes along with the action.

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To begin, when Julia and Winston first met in the forest clearing, Julia explained her theory that “If you kept the small rules, you could break the big ones”(129). Julia believes that rebellion should be an occasional, personal rejection of Party values. Her thoughts are that no full scale rebellion could ever take place to overthrow the Party. Continuing, in multiple sections of the novel Winston states that “If there is hope, it lies with the proles”(69). Winston believes that a complete revolution is possible if the proletariat class rises up against the party.

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The Party controls its citizens with psychological pressures designed to overrun one's independent thought process. Every single person must love and conform to the Party and Big Brother, there are no exceptions. The love that the citizens have for Big Brother is produced out of their fear of the Party. Citizens must obey the Party and its demands because something as simple as having an opinion is frowned upon, which is clear when Orwell states that the “... smallest thing could give you away. A nervous tic, an unconscious look of anxiety, a habit of muttering to yourself…” (62).

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Julia has the desire to do wrong and stand up for what she believes in. She stands up to the party by sleeping around, going against the members of the party, and gets involved with the brotherhood. Unlike Winston, she does not have a political sense or the idea that she can somehow make a change by helping the proles rise up. Her desire is to slap Big Brother. Julia is young and immature, and she wants to affect the party so that it can only affect herself.

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The propaganda she tapes to public places completely contradicts her lust and love for Winston, and expressing her sexuality is how she rebels against the society. Also, the narrator says, “Talking to her, he realized how easy it was to present an appearance of orthodoxy while having no grasp whatever of what orthodoxy meant” (Orwell 156). Essentially, Julia would rather keep under the Thought Police’s radar, sleeping with comrades, and displaying the persona they expect than violently overthrow an all-powerful force and risk her lifestyle. Because of her hobby, Julia is relatively skillful in avoiding telescreens that permit the Party to carry out surveillance in homes, workplaces, and public spaces. In any case, the telescreen behind the painting in Mr Charrington’s upstairs bedroom shatters the bubble of peace and intimacy Julia and Winston had.

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She is carefree, living in the moment and embracing the simple pleasures of life. Unlike the oppressive government, which seeks to control its citizens through fear, Julia takes a lighthearted approach to life. She is passionate and unafraid to express her feelings, even in the face of the oppressive government. This is seen in her relationship with Winston and her ability to find joy and beauty in the world around her. While the oppressive government seeks to strip its citizens of any sense of freedom, Julia refuses to give into the fear and continues to live life on her own terms.

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