Oligarchy In 1984

1984 Analysis
In his novel 1984, George Orwell describes a world with an oppressive government called “The Party” that all people must worship. In order to describe a conflicting situation involving a government of this nature, Orwell centers his story on a dissenter named Winston that tries to break away from this oppression. When someone takes control without the mandate of the people, there will always be groups of people that stand up to it. George Orwell included the character of Winston in order to show the moral and ethical implications that come from rebelling against one’s government. Winston’s first rebellious crimes against his government manifested themselves in the form of thoughts. As soon as Winston started to have doubts
When Winston went out walking one day, he saw a stone that he remembered seeing at some point when he was a child. He immediately bought this souvenir, but kept it a secret that it was in his possession. Although it was just a piece of junk, it was also solid proof that a time before the government took power existed. In an oligarchy as extreme as the one in 1984, having control of the people meant having control of every single aspect of their beings, including their recollections of their pasts. The government in the story brainwashed people into believing that this oligarchy was a good thing, and that this good thing had been around forever. Instead of letting people keep their own happy memories before the government was put in place, the party made it their duty to provide the people their own pleasurable memories. If the citizens were aware that life was better before the installment of the party, they would no longer want this type of government. What Winston had just purchased was evidence that there were in fact better times and that the government was full of lies and deceptions. If more people in Winston’s home country of Oceania had the power of a recollection of the past, the citizens would see through the lies of the