In 1984 George Orwell shows how totalitarianism controls people's lives through propaganda and technology, history without any truth, and fear for their lives. Orwell's intention was to invoke resistance to the totalitarian society he was writing about. It is strange, however, that despite the unappealing control of that kind of society displayed in the book, Russia throughout history has tried that form of government. Critic Phillip Rahv states, "Big Brother, the supreme dictator of Oceania, is obviously modeled on Stalin, both in his physical features and in his literary style" (182). Orwell is recognizing the similarities between his fictional society and that of Russia when he compares Big Brother to Stalin. The essential point of 1984 according to Lionel Trilling is "...the danger of the ultimate and absolute power which mind can develop when it frees itself from conditions, from the bondage of things and history" (143). The way the totalitarian government shows power in this novel is extraordinary. In every part of the book dealing with totalitarianism Orwell gives explicit detail in how the Party controls every part of the peoples lives. In the book the charac

If the people of the society went against the Party or the rules of the Party they were in serious trouble and had to face the consequences of their actions which were usually pretty harsh. Since the people have absolutely no freedom from the Party they are not allowed to fall in love with whomever they like. The Party matches couples up the way they want or however it suits the needs of the party. James Walsh shows this:

The fear of punishment is what keeps most people in the community under control of the Party. Winston and Julia are the exceptions; they figure out what the Party is up to and why they tell lies. They come to a point where it is useless for them to live in a controlled society, because they do have their own thoughts and feelings. They figure that living like that would be just as bad as any punishment the Party would give them, so they are not afraid to fall in love.

A totalitarian society can force people to do many things that violate their social and physical desires... Man's biological make-up requires him to obtain food, and, with less regularity or insistence, sex... In the long run, sex and the desire for food may prove to be one of the most enduring forces of resistance to the totalitarian state. (193)

At one end of it a colored poster had been tacked to the wall. It depicted simply an enormous face, more than a meter wide: the face of a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black mustache and ruggedly handsome features. [...] It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move. Big Brother Is Watching You, the caption beneath it ran. [...] The black-mustachio'd face gazed down from every commanding corner. (Orwell 5-6)

The telescreen received and transmitted simultaneously. Any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it; moreover, so long as he remained within the field of vision which the metal plaque commanded, he could be seen as well as heard. There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment. (Orwell 6)

Some common words found in the essay are:
O'Brien Party, Phillip Rahv, James Walsh, Erich Fromm, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Ministry Truth, George Orwell, Lionel Trilling, Howe Reality, Winston Julia, totalitarian society, fictional society, people society, party james walsh, party controls, absolute power, party holds, phillip rahv, ministry truth, fear punishment people, propaganda technology, eyes follow,
Approximate Word count = 1578
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)