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Probably the most important thing to remember while reading 1984 is that Orwell never intended the book to be a prediction of the future. It was more or less a satire of political fiction, however, I believe Orwell was on the right track concerning future possibilities of a New World Order, or total government control. An interesting quotation from the book is from the "thought police" when they say "If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face forever. " I believe Orwell's hope in writing the book was to warn people of political warning signs he saw. Another interesting characteristic I noticed about the book, was the fact that he only revealed to the reader the full names of only three characters in the book. The book features the main character, Winston Smith, who is a man in his late 30 's and a member of the 'outer party' - the lower of the two classes. Winston Smith works for the government in one of the four main government buildings called the Ministry of Truth where his job is to rewrite history books in order for people not to learn what the past used to be like (the slogan of 'the party' is "who controls the past, controls the future. ").
As the book is beginning, Winston begins to contemplate setting himself against Big Brother and the Party, but of course is reluctant, knowing that even thinking about such a thing could easily result in his death. The three sentences sum up what the party stands for, and they are: "War is Peace"Freedom is Slavery"Ignorance is Strength" All appear to be oxymoron's, but make some sense once the reader has progressed through the book, for example, the term "War is Peace" has a simple, but somewhat complex explanation. The society in 1984 revolves around 3 'superstates' which are Eurasia, East asia, and Oceania. All of these states are in a constant state of war with one another, yet all are self contained, and require no trade with one another, and therefor do not require war as a means of economical necessity.
However, it is their feeling that as long as a constant state of war is prevailing, the people will be too preoccupied with the war effort to worry about whether or not the present political system is working. The government constantly reminds the people that when they win the war, Oceania will rule the world, and life will be better. So therefor, as long as the war is going (as it always will be), peace within the states can prevail. Big Brother becomes suspicious of Winston, and he is therefore watched by O'Brien, an intelligent executive at the Ministry of Truth who is a member of the Inner Party (the upper class).
After a bit of casual conversation at the workplace, he is invited to O'Brien's house where he denounces to him his thoughts and ideas about the Brotherhood. O'Brien mentions a gentleman named Emmanuel Goldstein whom he claims to know heads an organization for such the same purposes of which Winston spoke. O'Brien promises to help Winston, and promises him a copy of Goldstein's book. Julia is the third and final main character of the book. She is an attractive young female who works with Winston at the Ministry of Truth. She is a member of the Outer Party.
They fall in love, but never marry because of existing laws in 1984. Julia eventually learns of Winston's plans, and even helps him. However, unlike O'Brien, she does not betray him. Eventually, Winston is caught and taken to a place "where there is no darkness" which are bright underground rooms where criminals are taken to be interrogated. He is tortured, and mentally murdered so badly that by the end of the book he loves Big Brother, and cannot think a single thought without the permission of the party. Winston is tortured on several different occasions, and on all occasions it is done by his "teacher" - O'Brien.
Almost the entire last 1 / 3 of the book is devoted to the dialogue that takes place during these torture sessions between O'Brien and Winston. Winston turns out to be a textbook case of a person reformed by the party. By the end of the book, Winston is completely mentally dead. He cannot think or act for himself, and he is merely a toy of the party. He is useless to anyone (including the party), and may as well be put to death, but is kept alive, probably as a trophy to Big Brother.
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Research essay sample on War Is Peace Ministry Of Truth
