English Literature

Totalitarianism of the Inner Party in 1984
George Orwells novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, has been subject to a lot of literary analysis. The analysis focuses on the political atmosphere as well as political characteristics and implications of this condition as it is applied in the real world and inside the context upon which Orwell wrote it. The discussion and analysis in this paper is no different, with the literary analysis focusing on the political implications that are in place in the story Nineteen Eighty Four. The focus of the discussion is regarding the aspect in the novel Nineteen Eighty Four, and how the society of the story Nineteen Eighty Four consists of three social classes. The social classes include the inner party, the outer party and the proletarians, how the inner party is the top of the government and holds all the power and completely controls the other two social classes. The factors that contribute towards keeping the inner party stays in power and allow the inner party to control and oppress the two other classes, with focus on aspects like language, doublethink and the revisionist history, among many things. This discussion will be accomplished via the systematic discussion of the breaking down of the characteristics of the inner party and the politics in Nineteen Eighty Four by breaking down the discussion into several different parts. These are the three groups and the dominance of the inner party, factors that keep the status quo in favor of the inner party and the mechanism for oppression used by the inner party versus the two other groups for the inner party to maintain control of the society.

Orwells Nineteen Eighty Four presents a fictional society which is a product of how Orwell has imagined Nineteen Eighty Four to be during his time. One of the dominant and strong characteristics of the story is the state of the absence of balance of power in the political realm. There is the ruling and the superior inner party, and the marginalized outer party as well as the proletarians. Because of the significance of the political situation, often, this has become the focus of discussion, contrary to analysis of other literary works that are focused on characters primarily. This one is focused on how the political and social conditions are affecting the society and is reflective of or indicative of the past, present and future threats that real world politics endured or might endure. The strong undertone regarding control and politics as exemplified by the inner part has been a very dominant aspect in the story. The lives and story lines of particular groups, aspects, characters and characteristics eventually are drawn into the vortex that is the inner party and its power and controlling ways. Because of that, literary analysis has always seen it relevant to discuss the important aspects of the power, control and totalitarian tendencies of the Inner Party in Orwells Nineteen Eight Four.

The three socio-political groups found inside Orwells Nineteen Eighty Four are the Inner Party, the Outer Party and the Proles. However, the presence of three different groups is merely a result of the necessity. In any human conditions, the leading individual or group of individuals cannot hope to have everyone in, which will result to the failure of the concept of the ruling elite, and thus, necessitating the presence of inferior and marginalized  group under the rule of the leading group. The Inner Party is a dominant group that is responsible for leadership as well as directions to which the society would go to. The remaining two groups are merely delegated with the task of either representing the group that acts as auxiliary or subordinate to a leading group or the group that will eventually go against the leading group. Regardless, all three groups represent the innate human nature for stratification, among individuals and among group. This puts everyone in a particular class and the need to identify the ruling and superior class over the less powerful and less influential.

Some of the examples of the presence of the three groups and the dominance of the Inner Party are found in the identification of such groups and how the story delegates particular roles to each and every group which in turn defines and characterizes each of the group. For example, Winston Smith, representing the Outer Party, has been made a mechanical non-thinking individual by his duties to the Inner Party. The Inner Party asserts its power on Smith by having Smith know what is to happen to him in the event of his being uncooperative to the desires and wills of the Inner Party. Even though what they wanted to do was wrong like the editing of the history, Smith, the Outer Party and the Proles are powerless to do anything about it, and in the process, merely goes along what the Inner Party dictates the two other parties.

There are many factors why the Inner Party remains in power and the status quo remaining unchanged. One of which is the successful establishment of institutions as well as systems and practices that can make sure that the status quo is retained. The system in place is supportive to the continued rein of the ruling Inner Party. For example, the status quo cannot be changed. This is because the system or way of life of people is characterized by the fact that control has already been established. In the nature of control, it is always difficult to break away from it especially if it becomes a way of life already, a factor that helps the Inner Party retain the status quo.

Besides the factors, the Inner Party also has made sure that it has put in place necessary mechanisms for control. The inner party desires power and with that comes the need for control in all aspects of the social life. The Inner Party is either smart enough or devious enough or both to be able to secure every possible avenue that might be used as opportunity for an individual to break away from the system and start the process of changing the status quo. Whereas, Orwells story, in some respect dark and depressing and overly critical of the negative tendencies of the government, has also presented a government that is crafty and has schemed with near perfection, for the sake of the objective of maintaining power as well as control. For example, Smith is revising history so that the Inner Party controls the history and what is contained in it. History is a powerful tool that can tilt the balance of power from one side to another. Other mechanisms of oppression include the many different ministries in the employ of the government which, instead of helping the people, actually intimidates the people. Language and mind control is an important tool and mechanism for the Inner Party to control the society and continually subjugate the two other parties. This is made possible by the elimination or absence of potential leaders to lead the challenge of power and the many different factors acting as deterrence to any action geared at challenging the Inner Party by individuals coming from the two other groups. And because of these mechanisms, people feel it is hard to trust the society and government since everything is suspect.

The story of George Orwell entitled Nineteen Eighty Four paints a grim picture of a social life which is nonetheless a possible rendition or reflection of the real life in many parts of the world. There are different classes but just one particular group acting as the superior ruler over the other groups, even when there are those who believe this story is actually not well written. Indeed, the Inner Party has shown that there will be groups that will enforce themselves to the society. They control society in the incorrect and demented notion that they are the only ones who know what is best for the society. As such, they do not wish to have the society changed or altered. Because of that, there are mechanisms and tools that they set in motion and use to guarantee the maintenance of the status quo in the socio political sphere by controlling what people think, what people read, what people know and what people believe through many different ways. This place called Oceania may be a fictitious world. However, the characteristics of the Inner Party, like being able to monitor its citizens and influence how the history is being written in favor or leaning towards the interests of a particular group, can be considered as social characteristics that are far from fictitious. Through Orwells work, the people are given the chance to investigate as well as question the political condition they are in through the chance of being able to investigate the society from the outside looking in, through the novel, if not through the details of ones everyday life.