George Orwell
George Orwell's 1984, "was identified by Geoffrey Stokes as the first major twentieth-century dystopian novel, which is a modern variation of the traditional utopian novel"(qt'd in World Literature Criticism 2574). The word "utopia" originates from the Greek language; "outopia, meaning 'no place,' or else 'eutopia,' meaning 'good place,' pointing to the idea that a utopia is a non-existent land of social perfection" (Frye 478). It therefore follows that an anti-utopia is the exact opposite of this, a place in which the condition of life is extremely bad. Orwell's 1984 is anti-utopian in that it depicts a nightmare world where people have no rights; they are controlled by a totalitarian government which seeks power for its own sake and eliminates individual freedom. Through his portrayal of governmental surveillance, the prevention of relationships and the principles of a manipulative government system, Orwell reveals a true anti-utopian society. To begin, the government in 1984 controls the thoughts and action of its citizens through surveillance. Whatever one does is monitored day and night by telescreens that can simultaneously send and receive video and voice. The telescreens are
The Party therefore uses INGSOC as a means to control its citizens. The three fundamentals of the system: "Newspeak," "doublethink," and mutability of the past, enable the Party to maintain authority as they keep the people in ignorance. Without the ability to express their true thoughts, to hold strong convictions, or to know the real truth about anything, the people cannot revolt against the party. Evidently, the government system does not benefit the citizens in any way. Instead, it is used to disempower them. This is a clear anti-utopian characteristic. Another principle of INGSOC is "doublethink". Doublethink is "the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind and accepting both of them" (37). Clear examples of this are the Party's three slogans: war is peace, ignorance is strength, and freedom is slavery. The government wants the citizens to think in this manner because two contradictory beliefs cancel each other. People practising doublethink will therefore have no real beliefs; what they believe to be true, they will also believe to be untrue. Thus, by having no strong convictions, the people will not feel compelled to fight or argue and will become meek and compliant to the Party's regulations. The government also controls its citizens by preventing relationships. By making it impossible for individuals to act upon their natural desires to love, the party is able to "prevent men and women from forming loyalties which it might not be able to control" (68). People are granted the privilege of marriage so that children can be produced for the service of the Party, though "permission [is] always refused if the couple concerned [gives] the impression of being physically attracted to one another" (68). Obviously the citizens must repress their natural desires to love as human beings or the Party will punish them. Although two individuals may find ways to act upon their love for one another, their eventual defeat is inevitable; the eyes of the government are everywhere. The relationship between the characters Winston and Julia reveals the hopelessness of love in this society. Winston first discovers Julia's feelings towards him after reading "I love you" on a tiny piece of paper that she had casually slipped into his hand (113). Winston, wanting to see her again, realises that "the physical difficulty of meeting [is] extremely enormous" and would be like "trying to make a move at chess when you are already mated" (115). Obviously, Winston feels that meeting with Julia is nearly impossible. Nevertheless, he finds a way to exchange brief words with her in a noisy public cafeteria. They arrange to meet at the Town Square where there will be a crowd of people that will minimize their chanc
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Approximate Word count = 1849
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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