Often this means erasing from the record those who have been disappeared by the Party (become “unpersons”) or rearranging events in order to suit a new narrative promoted by the state. Winston is responsible for rewriting history by destroying and rewriting newspaper articles. He has a job in the Ministry of Truth that places him at the level of an office worker. The protagonist of the novel, Winston Smith, is a member of the Outer Party. This is a reference to the enormous amount of surveillance the party and the Thought Police utilize on every street, in every building, and in every room.

He is, as the posters state, always watching. Big Brother is a source of fear, but also adoration. He is never seen, but is omnipresent, watching citizens from their TVs, posters, and money. At the center of the Party is a mysterious figurehead who goes by the name of Big Brother. They do not tolerate opposition in any form, even negative thoughts about the Party are a crime (Thought Crime). The totalitarian Party rules with “ Ingsoc”, a shortening of English Socialism. The novel focuses on Airstrip One, part of Oceania. After vaguely described disastrous wars and economic collapses, the world has been divided up into continent-spanning superpowers. Part Iġ984 by George Orwell opens in April of 1984. Spoiler alert: important details of the novel are revealed below. His interest in the past and desire to find a way to fight back against the party lead him down a dangerous path that takes him to the dark interior of the Party system. Winston meets and interacts with devoted members of the party, others who feel the same as he does, and those in-between. There is surveillance everywhere and the Thought Police arrest and make people vanish every day. He spends time in districts of the city in which members of the party aren’t supposed to travel and writes in a diary he has to hide from his television ( telescreen).

Winston hates his job with the Ministry of Truth and the Party that controls him. The Party is totalitarian and demands the allegiance and adoration of its citizens. The novel follows Winston Smith, a thirty-nine-year-old man and a mid-level member of the ruling party of Oceania. It is a dystopian novel that tells the story of Winston Smith and warns of the dangers of a totalitarian government that rules through fear, surveillance, propaganda, and brainwashing.ġ984 by George Orwell opens in April of 1984 in a society that has been ravaged by war and rebuilt under a new government.

1984 by george orwell