1984 Power Essay Example

The drive for more power over others is something people have been trying to gain since the beginning of time. Human’s drive for power has led to the corruption and downfall of many powerful nations. In the novel 1984, by George Orwell, Big Brother, the giant tyrant, suppresses the party members of Oceania into unconsciousness in order to rule over everyone. Too much power given to the government leads to a huge division between society as well as a lot of rebellion. 

From the beginning of the book the government of Oceania had too much power, there were signs all around the town saying, “Big Brother Is Watching You” (Orwell 2). Everyone was constantly watched to make sure they were not betraying Big Brother. The Party also decided what was wrong and right and what the public must follow. The society was divided into three different groups: the Inner Party (upper class), the Outer Party (middle class), and Proles (lower class).  The society of Oceania did not see these divisions as true “class” divisions, however, Orwell wants the reader to see the class distinctions because that means there is conflict and class struggle. These class divisions were caused by too much power in the government which led to no equality throughout the society. The people in the Inner party were given real chocolate, wine, coffee, etc., they could even turn off their television screens for a little while, which means they weren’t being watched. However, the people in the Outer Party and Proles were watched all the time and only got a certain quality of food. The Inner Party is constantly watching over the other parties to make sure they don’t betray Big Brother because a lot of lower class people cannot be trusted, which is something that Orwell was showing. 

With too much power being held in the hands of a totalitarian government, many people started to rebel. Winston Smith progressively disobeyed the law and sacrificed his life in his defiance, revealing how suppression breeds delusional rebellion. From the beginning of the book Winston would write in his secret diary about things he should not be writing and even thinking about. He wrote, “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” several times in a row which is considered to be thoughtcrime (Orwell 18). Winston had a sheer hatred for Big Brother and shared this with a companion, Julia. When Julia was explaining to Winston how much she loved sex, all Winston could think about was how, “that was above all what he wanted to hear. Not merely the love of one person, but the animal instinct, the simple undifferentiated desire: that was the force that would tear the Party to pieces” (Orwell 126). Winston’s rebellion was not only for his own pleasure, but to regain his humanity. Big Brother suppressed human nature so much that when denied animalistic freedom, man rebelled. The ending of the book also displays a huge imbalance in the power of the society when O’Brien captureed Winston, instead of killing him he tortured him both, mentally and physically. Winston finally reached his breaking point when he started to shout, “Do it to Julia! Do it to Julia! Not me! Julia” (Orwell 286). Winston loved Julia and would not confess anything to hurt her, but he eventually had nothing else to give and that was the last piece of humanity he was holding onto. The party eventually broke Winston and he reached the point where he would not attempt to even out the power balance again, as he returned to his normal life. Winston’s power struggle is key to Orwells book because his purpose is to warn us that society cannot control what we think. Orwell wants the people to find their own power in themselves and to be able to express themselves freely. 

Winston Smith lived in a divided society where there was a massive uneven power balance that could not be controlled. Winston attempted to rebel in his own way, which was successful, but he was caught and tortured. He was then released back to society with no humanity left in him just as the Party wanted.