George Orwell’s 1984 serves as quite possibly the most impactful dystopian novel ever written. Winston Smith, a low level bureaucrat, lives in the nation of Oceania in the year 1984. This novel takes place in the near future and embraces science fiction to expand upon the possibility of a nation that has taken full control of its people. Winston, like all citizens of Oceania, is constantly monitored by telescreens, all-seeing devices present in all homes, workplaces, and public and private spaces. George Orwell writes clear, direct sentences that rarely use any colorful literary flourishes to add flavor to his text. Instead, he uses his content and historical context to allow the reader to imagine the possibilities the world of 1984 represents. The dull, direct prose and terrifying subject matter in conjunction with the period of time it is written serve as a painfully impactful warning of the possibilities totalitarian control represents to the future of human society as well as to what life and love could degrade into if history had taken a different turn throughout the Cold War. 

The implications of 1984 are difficult to comprehend as reality until the historical context it was written is analyzed and the realization of just how possible Oceania was at this time begins to sink in. Published in 1949, a time in the world where the Nazi regime, a fascist society that committed some of the most despicable acts of genocide, has just fallen and where the USSR, a communist regime that accomplished even worse acts of genocide has just become one of the most powerful countries in the world. Communism and Fascism, two ideologies that by definition are in opposition to each other and yet in practicality are very similar. The treatment of citizens who follow the rules established by the ruling elite or party is just barely survivable but astonishingly controlling. The treatment of citizens who do not follow the rules is often cited as the worst atrocities of human history, resulting in millions of deaths by torture, execution, and imprisonment (Rummel). These historical atrocities were just the most recent events in a world where fascist and communist societies were allowed to govern societies. 1984 imagines a world where these nations eventually came to successfully rule for a long period of time. Part of the nebulous nature of just how long certain aspects of Winston's world has been in place is explained in the early chapters of the novel. Orwell proclaims, “And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became truth. 'Who controls the past' ran the Party slogan, 'controls the future: who controls the present controls the past'” (Orwell 52). In fact, Winston's job entails the alteration or destruction of past historical data to ensure the ruling of the party appears perfect and undefeatable.  

The story starts after Oceania has been under totalitarian control for an untold amount of time, controlled by the ruling party and by the never seen but always heard character Big Brother. “Big Brother is watching you,” (Orwell 29) is an often heard phrase to remind the citizens of Oceania of the omniscient nature of their leader. Big Brother is described as ruthless, yet giving, unforgiving but also kind. This kind of unusual and contrarian description has deep historical precedent in Stalinist Russia and the cult of personality. A popular quote of the time stated, “O great Stalin, O leader of the people's, Thou who broughtest man to birth. Thou who fructifies the earth, Thou who restorest to centuries, Thou who makest bloom the spring, Thou who makest vibrate the musical chords…” (Judge 193). This quote comes from the USSR government and was written of the “amazing” traits of their ruler Joseph Stalin. Stalin and his policies were responsible for approximately 39 million of his own people murdered. (Rummel) These kind of contrasting views of the same leader can only be possible in a society where total control of its people has been established. 

In 1984, this level of indoctrination and distortion of fact is represented early on by Winston’s observation of the execution of a man and woman who were turned in by their children for crimes against the party, namely thought crime, a crime where not only is voicing anti-party rhetoric illegal, but merely thinking thoughts against the party is a crime. Another illustration of the total control of the party is when the ration of chocolate allocated to each citizen is decreased by 50%, and is then praised in the party newspaper where this decrease from 20 ounces to 10 ounces is instead described as an increase from 5 ounces to 10 ounces. This supposed increase is the kind of deception that only a nation with complete control could possibly accomplish. 

An essential part of the story is when Winston begins to defy the party. His first act begins with the purchase of a diary, allowing for the recording of personal thoughts. Diaries are strictly forbidden because the only thing that the party has difficulty controlling is personal thoughts. In this diary, Winston writes of how he feels sexually frustrated and repressed, feelings that he is conflicted by, because according to the party, he should not be feeling this way. His first act of rebellion is essentially a rebellion of thought. One of the first things he writes is, “Thought crime does not entail death: thought crime IS death” (Orwell 6). His thought crime is extremely distressing to him as this is not only the first time he has written any negative observation of the party, this is quite possibly the first time he has even thought anything negative. This level of control over people is the terrifying endpoint of totalitarian regimes, where its citizens are so controlled that even their thought is controlled. 

His second act of rebellion is much more radical. He begins a relationship with another thought criminal, a young woman named Julia who is primarily interested in sex and opposing Big Brother in minor and insignificant ways. For a long while, he is convinced that he is going to die for his crimes, but he is satisfied by the companionship provided by Julia. His relationship is forbidden, as are all relationships unless sanctioned by the party since it does not provide anything beneficial to the Party. At a very basic level, humans tend to live only for the freedom to spend time with those they choose to love. If the party has control of not only who the people spend their time with, but also over who they are allowed to love, then it is reasonable to assume the party has direct control over the will of the people itself. 

Winston’s third act of rebellion serves as the nail in the coffin, where he attempts to join the resistance to Big Brother. He meets with a man named O’Brien who encourages Winston to learn of ways to oppose the party through education. O’Brien is soon revealed to be a member of the thought police, an element of the Party tasked with finding and punishing thought criminals. Finally, if a society has control over education and a citizens ability to resist, there is literally no option for a human to take besides to surrender to the parties will. 

George Orwell’s 1984 personifies the fears of the time that prevaled in the minds of many Western nations as totalitarian regimes rise and fall. Democracy and the human spirit is often represented by our ability to think, our ability to love, and our ability to seek change. Orwell describes a society where all of these freedoms are taken from us and no options are left to humanity but to surrender our minds or perish in the worst conditions imaginable. The horrifying key to this novel is that history before this novel and after this novel showcases just how accurate Orwell was in his direct, efficient method of detailing the true extent to which totalitarianism can control the will of the people. 1984 was an extremely effective way of warning Western society of the dangers of the USSR.
