1984's Main Themes

Themes in 1984

The general theme in the novel totalitarianism. George Orwell managed to personally experience during the time when he was working in USSR and later Spain. Orwell thought that socialist countries striving to communism were totalitarian and therefore he was afraid that countries that take communism’s path would end up fully controlling their citizens. In the book, he wanted to portray a fully totalitarian nation, with the message that if totalitarianism is not sopped, this is how communist countries will be like. He expected this to be real in about 35 years, hence the title “1984”. He showed a government that was in control of everything a person does in his public as well as private life, including the human mind

One of the themes that made Winston, who challenged the limits of the party’s control to be in the state he ended up, was physical control over the body through torture. If somebody is not in favour of the ruling party, the party physically tortured them until the person would do and say anything at all the party wanted. After being tortured, Winston can see for himself that even true conviction and loyalty to whoever and whatever isn’t stronger than torture; nothing is.

Another aspect the party was part of was information jurisdiction. They were in control of the past and present (and the future If they wanted). There was a ministry, where Winston worked that actually specialised on changing and deleting history. So, anything the party ever said about history was by historical evidence, true. So, it is said, “By controlling the present, the Party is able to manipulate the past. And in controlling the past, the Party can justify all of its actions in the present.”

The party was also able to make you not only do and say what is said by the party, but through psychological changing, actually make you believe in it. This can even be done without physical torture; it is done partly through propaganda. For example, signs of Big Brother alongside other forms of manipulation such as 2 minutes hate, where citizens are forced to should hateful slogans towards pictures of the enemy. There are even organisation for minors which tell children to report anything they see such as the junior spies, which are the youth wing of the Thought Police. They even ruin basic relations within the families as children have more loyalty towards the party than their own party. Therefore, it is often for them to report on their own parents.

In fact, in the novel Orwell is trying to say that one of the biggest aspects of full control is the language as that is through what the mind thinks. The party created newspeak, which is a form of full control by the party. Words get reduced every day, making people only say what is necessary and eventually to have all their concentration and energy on the party. It will eventually be a language that has no questioning to the full control of the party. It also means the loss of culture, adding to the power of the government.

Finally, Orwell was highly concerned about the usage of technology throughout the world. The message was, that in communist countries, it gives the government more control, partly due to surveillance.  Examples in the book include the hidden microphones alongside the telescreens, which the party used to spy on people. It is also another source where the government may use propaganda and instead of being a positive source of information, may be a brainwashing machine.

So, as we can see the message the author is trying to send, is that totalitarianism doesn’t let people think freely. This is to let alone, the fact that people have to do anything the government tells them to. It literally makes people salves. Not only that, but it stops people from being humans, it is against humanity.