English Literature

1984 is the famous dystopian (anti-utopian) novel written by George Orwell. Many years after, the novel remains to be one of the most influential writing ever issued against the dangers of the totalitarian society. Orwell was able to show the worst human society imaginable through the life in the Oceanian province of Airstrip One where people are in the world of unending war, invasive government scrutiny, public mind control and cancellation of citizens rights. He wrote 1984 to caution the people about the possibility of this type of society that could actually exist if trends in the novel continued. These are chauvinism, oppression of the working class and the erosion of language that expresses the history of human existence. Orwell wanted his readers to see that people have to fight in order to avoid this kind of future. He created the character of Winston Smith to show the struggle of a common civil servant. His poor existence disillusions him into rebellion against Big brother, which leads to his arrest, torture and conversion.

The long years of war has left the society of Airstrip One in absolute poverty. By the year 1984, Airstrip One is already in ruins given the beatings of the civil war, atomic wars and Eurasion rocket bombs. As Winston goes around the urban areas, there is nothing left to see but the rubbles, decay and collapsing structures. The government has no effort to rebuild London. Aside from the well-maintained and bombproof Ministries, all towns and cities all over Airstrip One are left to rot in the same desperate condition. The people have very poor living standards. Many things are scarce and hard to obtain and those goods that are available are of very poor quality. The poor living condition of the people is being justified by the Party by claiming that everyone should make sacrifices for the common good. The war effort is taking too much resources from the people. The truth is, war is being sustained in order to get rid of the surplus of industrial production that could actually alleviate the condition of the people.

The figure below is the structure of Airstrip One Society. Big Brother is the perceived leader of Oceania. Though he may not actually exist, he is an extremely important figure in the society. His image is everywhere, bearing the message Big Brother is Watching You.

The Inner Party is the smallest population at the top level of Oceanian society and has the highest standard of living. OBrien, a mysterious and powerful man, is a sophisticated member of the party. He is living a relatively comfortable life, living in a clean apartment, eating high quality food such as wine, coffee and sugar. People like him also seem to have slaves who are captured from the disputed zone. These things are not available to the rest of the population. When Winston accompanied him in his apartment, the former was shocked to see that the elevators in the latters apartment actually work. However, the life of the Inner Party Members enjoy is still far below those of societys elite before the revolution.

The Outer Party Members, or the Middle Class of Oceanian society, have poor living standards. They are only allowed to consume low quality, synthetic goods. Their main alcoholic beverage, Victory Gin, is industrial-grade and their cigarettes are trashy. They eat black bread and other synthetic meals served in the workplace. Winston, a member of the party, lives in the ruins of London. He has a one room apartment in Victory Mansions and goes to work at the Ministry of Truth.

The Proles, majority of the population, are at the bottom of society. They are treated by the Party as animals, allowing them to live in pure filth and poverty.  They do not revolt about their condition as they are silenced with enormous quantities of cheap beer, widespread pornography and a national lottery. However, these amusements cannot hide how dangerous and deprived the lives of the proles. They live in the section of the cities which are ridden with disease and pests. They are left to cater for their needs. But they enjoy more privacy in their lives because they are less subject to scrutiny than Party members. For example, the proles whom Winston meets in the streets and in the pubs are more carless when they speak and behave. Further, the prole criminals whom he meets during the first phase of his imprisonment are far less cowed than the educated political prisoners. In fact, they are not afraid to rudely jeer at the telescreens with evident impunity.

The framework of the book follows the social theory that revolutions are always started by the middle class and not by the lower class. Based on Karl Marx social conflict theory, the working class, who are exploited by the bourgeoisie, will eventually gain their true class consciousness or a sense of shared identity based on this exploitation. Therefore, the middle class are so closely controlled that the regime can infiltrate what they are thinking and the minute details of their daily lives, the lower classes can be left to their own devices and pose no threat. Hence, it is Winstons belief that the true hope lies with the proles.