George Orwell's 1984: Summary and Analysis of the Novel

1984 by George Orwell is a dystopia novel whose plot takes place in Oceania, a country dominated by a totalitarian government that keeps a constant watch on its citizens and even insists on spying on their thoughts to keep the order.

The novel is one of the most iconic works of the 20th century for its denunciation of practices established by governments like those of Franco and Stalin, which have been adopted by many dictators throughout the story.

Orwell is one of the most important writers of the 20th century and according to Barry Gewen, editor of the New York Times, the writer who dominated this era.

Summary of 1984

The futuristic world of 1984 It is divided into three superpowers living in a permanent state of war: Oceania, Eurasia and East Asia. Oceania, made up of the English-speaking regions, is ruled by the Party, an oligarchic group. This in turn is divided into the Interior Party, which governs and is made up of 2% of the population, and the Exterior Party, made up of 13% of the population and in charge of executing the orders. The 85% that make up the rest of the population corresponds to the proletariat, who are ignored because the Party considers that they do not have the intellectual capacity to organize a rebellion.

The Party keeps citizens under perpetual surveillance, arresting and making disappear those who show any disagreement. At the head of the Party is the figure of Big Brother, whose face is on posters and coins. All citizens are obligated to love and offer their unconditional loyalty to Big Brother.

The protagonist of the novel is Winston Smith, a member of the Foreign Party who works for the Ministry of Truth, rewriting articles so that they comply with the ideology and image sold by the Match. Disturbed by his work, Winston writes a diary addressed to O'Brien, one of the members of the Inner Party, because Winston suspects that he O'Brian belongs to a secret organization of rebels known as the Brotherhood.

One day Winston meets Julia, a young woman who sends him a note that says: "I love you." In Oceania relationships and sexual desire are prohibited, even for married couples. Despite this, Winston decides to go on a clandestine affair with Julia. The couple are on the second floor of the store of Mr. Charrington, the owner of a thrift store, who appears to be an ally of the Brotherhood.

One day the couple is arrested in Mr. Charrington's store in possession of the book written by Emmanuel Goldstein, a traitorous leader of the Party. Winston and Julia are tortured by O'Brien at the Ministry of Love. They are brainwashed in which they lose their individuality, respect, and sexual desire. In the end, Winston learns to be loyal to the Party and to love Big Brother.

Characters

These are the main characters of the novel 1984.

Winston smith

She is the protagonist. Winston works in the Registry Department of the Ministry of Truth, rewriting events written in the past to fit perfectly with Party policies. Through Winston, the dichotomy between the psyche of the individual and the violence that is created by submitting to the mandates of the totalitarian government is illustrated. For this reason, for Winston who is a professional writer, it is difficult to find his own voice, even if he can only express it in his secret diary.

Julia

She is a beautiful young woman with black hair who works in the Novel Department of the Ministry of Truth. She is a practical but rebellious woman who inspires Winston to break established norms by becoming his lover.

O'Brien

She is a member of the Inner Party, and as such she looks powerful, although no one really knows what her role in the Party is. The look of her is contradictory. On the one hand she is a big man, stout, but on the other, she has a face that inspires confidence, admiration and, above all, intelligence.

Mr. Charrington

He is an old man, owner of the store where Winston Smith buys the newspaper and who rents the room in which Julia and Winston are secretly. She is actually a member of the Thought Police who with great spy talent, deceives Winston with his apparent nostalgia and respect for the past, and his gentleness and discretion.

Big Brother

He is the leader of the Party, whose face appears on all the posters and coins along with the phrase: "Big Brother watches over you." His figure is characterized by his gigantic size; his face, powerful but calm, and especially his huge black mustaches. All citizens of Oceania are bound to have an exclusive love for Big Brother.

Emmanuel goldstein

He is the enemy of the people, to whom a broadcast called "Two Minutes of Hate" is dedicated several times a day. He is a former Party member, as powerful as Big Brother, who betrays him. No one knows if he is still alive, but he seems to continue his influence, and he has been appointed as the leader of the Brotherhood.

Ministries in 1984

The Party controls the population through four ministries:

Ministry of Love

In charge of law and order. Through torture and brainwashing, he re-educates the rebellious citizens.

Ministry of Truth

In charge of government propaganda, through news, art, entertainment and education.

Ministry of Peace

In charge of maintaining the war. One of its strategies is to focus attention on external problems (with other countries) to distract citizens from the problems who live in their own country, and in this way blame others, so that the problems are never solved and the state of war is perpetuate.

Ministry of Abundance

In charge of economic affairs, such as rationing and creating famines.

What is it Ingsoc?

Ingsoc is the name of the Party in newspeak, the artificial language created by the Party itself. Ingsoc stands for English socialism and represents the official ideology of the Party. This ideology was created by Big Brother together with Emmanuel Goldstein, but over time, both leaders came into conflict over what Ingsoc should represent.

Analysis of 1984

Orwell's novel brilliantly illustrates the ways in which an individual is affected by a repressive government or autocratic figure and how this affects all aspects of his life, from his thoughts, desires, personal and family relationships, the way he can or cannot move his body and even his sexuality.

It is worth noting that every totalitarian government aims to control thinking: What do the propaganda and the media say? What can citizens comment in public? What opinion do citizens have of the dictator or monarch?

The consequences that these repressive forms have on citizens are devastating to the point that they destroy, perhaps, the only thing that distinguishes being human: memory and memories, dreams and desires, personal tastes and opinions, and of course, the ability to question, criticize, think.

Below are some of the mechanisms used by totalitarian and autocratic governments that are analyzed by 1984.

Manipulation of reality

1984 It is the title of the novel and it is the year in which the narration takes place, but in reality Winston does not know what the real date is: there is no objective, external source that can corroborate the date. He is almost certain that he is in the year 1984, but in reality he does not know.

Rumors and stories are told in the streets, but there are no direct witnesses. Nobody knows what really happens: it is rumored that there is a Brotherhood, that Emanuel Goldstain lives abroad conspiring. But everything remains in conjecture and in the mind of Winston, who assumes all this, but he cannot discuss his doubts with anyone, because he is watched all the time with screens and microphones.

There are no facts or a concrete and objective reality to cling to. Winston's work, rewriting history, shows how The Party destroys the past along with all the literature and documentation that may exist in this regard, and republishes it according to its truth current.

Winston Smith: Destruction of the Subject

Winston, as a subject subjected to repression, gives life to the feeling of contradiction towards the leader and his regime. He must always show his affection and adoration for Big Brother, and the ideology of the Ingsoc, But he, like the other citizens, lives with a deep anger and hatred that, since it is not directed at the Party, has to be concentrated and expressed in the two minutes of hatred.

His work, rewriting the past, illustrates how memory is destroyed and with it, the only source of historical coherence that allows maintaining mental health: there is no external source, objective, which accounts for what has happened in the past (even if it is only a couple of days), and how this cannot be commented, remains only in his memory and therefore, there may well have been no happened.

What is the doublethink?

The Party not only makes Winston doubt himself, but it is he who must censor himself and engage in inconsistent practices, such as the doublethink, which consists in thinking that two contradictory ideas are true at the same time. Doublethink is defined as:

Knowing and not knowing, being aware of what is really true while carefully telling lies to hold two opinions simultaneously knowing that they are contradictory and yet believe in both; employ logic against logic (Orwell).

The practice of doublethink it is a survival mechanism for those who are subjected to repression; it is a way of obeying the regime, while trying to rescue the individual, his truth and his history.

Who is Big Brother?

He is the leader of Oceania, the Party, and Ingsoc. Big Brother appears to be a human being. Generally when it is mentioned the characteristic physical appearance of him is also described: his face, hair and black mustaches. He even has a biographical history, but this is questionable in the light of reason, and his presence may best be associated with the only god or being he loves.

According to the Party, Big Brother is one of the founders of Ingsoc, the party's ideology, but Winston is suspicious about the origins of it, because he notices that his history has spread in the past. He initially appears as a revolutionary from the 50s, then he starts to appear even until the 30s. This is why he wonders, how old can he be? The posters show a 45-year-old man.

The image of him, whether it is found on coins, in small rooms, corridors, cigarette boxes, screens, is always displayed in a disproportionate size compared to other objects. It is a huge presence that seems to be overflowing with worldly objects.

He is an omnipresent being, because he is in all the rooms, the facades of the buildings, and also in the small objects that are carried in the pockets. And he is also omniscient, because wherever the image of him is, he has the kind of eyes that persecute whoever looks at him, from any angle, exercising their espionage work. To emphasize this work, as if the permanent surveillance of screens and microphones to its inhabitants were not enough, the image of him is always accompanied by the phrase:

"Big Brother watches over you."

Big Brother, he is also the only being that he loves. Because in Oceania the sexual love of a couple is prohibited, and even friendships are not allowed. The only thing allowed is the worship of Big Brother.

Winston learns in Goldstein's book that Big Brother does not exist, it is an invention to better control people, concentrating his love for a single person. Being an invention, Big Brother becomes an idea and, as such, has a power far greater than any person of flesh and blood; he is immortal.

Curious fact

The earliest records of monarchs declaring themselves gods can be dated to the 23rd century BC with the monarchs of Mesopotamia and Egypt. Today this type of leader cult can be found in North Korea, where Kim Jong-un, his late father, Kim Jong-il, and his grandfather, who established the regime, are worshiped. Government propaganda teaches that they have food, clothing, and any other benefit, only by the "grace" of their dictators. It is the only imperial cult still in force.

Historical context: the dangers of totalitarianism

1984 is a futuristic novel published in 1949 after World War II, at a time marked by totalitarian regimes. Among them were:

• Nazi Germany under Hitler's dictatorship from 1933 to 1945.
• The fascist dictatorship of Francisco Franco in Spain from 1936 to 1975.
• Stalin's communist dictatorship in Russia from 1922 to 1952.
• The fascist dictatorship of Benito Mussolini in Italy from 1922 to 1943.
• The Salazar dictatorship in Portugal from 1932 to 1968.

Orwell, influenced by the political climate, wrote 1984 Y Rebelion on the farm with the intention of warning about the dangers of this type of government. At the time of publication of 1984, he criticized the indifference to Stalin's communist regime in Russia, given that Russia's support had been critical to defeating Hitler in World War II.

1984 it is centered in London. This is partly because Orwell wanted to show that totalitarian governments could triumph anywhere, as long as the people did not fight against them from the start.

Orwell's commitment to democracy went far beyond his writing. During the Spanish Civil War, he militated alongside the Popular Front that opposed the "national side" led by General Franco.

Characteristics of totalitarian regimes

Totalitarianism is a form of government in which the regime seeks to control all aspects of society, including the public and private life of its citizens. The most important features of it are:

• Power is governed by a single political party.
• They have absolute control of the military forces.
• They have full control of all media (newspapers, advertisements, etc.).
• They terrorize society through the police force.
• They are in control of the economy.

Film adaptations of 1984

The first film adaptation was made in 1956 in black and white, and directed by Michael Anderson. The film was secretly financed by the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency).

The second film adaptation is an English film directed by Michael Radford and released in 1984. This was the last film in which Richard Burton acted in the role of O'Brien, and it is dedicated to this legendary actor. You can watch the trailer below.

George Orwell biography

Eric Blair (1903-1950), whose pseudonym is George Orwell, was born and raised in the then British colony of Motihari, Bihar. He studied at Eton College, England, and worked in Burma as a member of the Imperial Indian Police (1922-1927). He militated against Francoism during the Spanish Civil War.

He wrote narrative, poetry, literary criticism, and journalism. His experiences in Burma, the Spanish Civil War, and as a witness to the poverty of the miners of northern England, inspired a literature committed to criticism and social reform.

His best known works are Rebelion on the farm Y 1984, which the totalitarian governments denounce.

You may also like Novel Rebelion on the farm by George Orwell.

Other dystopian novels:

• Book A happy world by Aldous Huxley
• Book The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood