A World of Contradiction
In 1984, George Orwell writes of a totalitarian society that has manipulated its followers while rewriting the past. Orwell writes of technology that abolishes privacy and is the cause of perpetual fear. This technology is referred to as telescreens. The party of "Big Brother" controls this technology and controls the minds of its party members by a major concept called doublethink. This form of twisted logic is used to manipulate the society and confuse those who are not so easily oppressed. The thought process behind doublethink is that one has two contradicting ideas and accepts both of them as truths. While Orwell created this ideology, he employs it in his novel as more than just a form of propaganda. The novel is actually written in doublethink to immerse the reader into Orwell's 1984 society. Winston Smith, the main character, has a morbid obsession with a member of the Inner Party, named O'Brien. Winston feels there is a certain connection between them regardless of the caste system lines. He maintains that the connection is based upon "political orthodoxy [that is] not perfect" (13). Winston loathes "Big Brother" and everything that it stands for and hopes to one day confide in O'Brien. The enemy of "Big Brothe
r" and the party is a man called Emmanuel Goldstein who is the leader of the rebellion as well as a group called the "Brotherhood." In this passage, Winston's theory is correct; O'Brien is an ally who is for the "Brotherhood" when he says, "I think it is fitting that we should begin by drinking a health [sic]. To our Leader: To Emmanuel Goldstein" (141). She is revered as a virgin, yet when alone with Winston, she is everything but one. In both contexts, she is accepted as either promiscuous or a virgin. She is two contradicting things simultaneously and they are both conceived as true. "Then what is it, this principle that will defeat us?" (222). In addition to being a protagonist, O'Brien is also the antagonist. He is a member of the "Brotherhood" but is in the Ministry of Love torturing Winston. This is doublethink. O'Brien is a protagonist but also an antagonist at the same time. Even still, Winston feels that bond which makes O'Brien the protagonist, even during torture sessions.
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Approximate Word count = 998
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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