by Oliver Substance

Created on: March 06, 2007   Last Updated: May 08, 2007

The Tendency of Man: Nineteen Eighty-Four

History repeats itself. Humans often perform the same actions repeatedly, because they are habitual beings. All humans have the same instincts, and their lives are based on how they control and manipulate them. Nineteen Eighty-Four is about how humans live in an abstract setting. Orwell uses this abstraction to show his prediction of a world allowed to continue its capitalistic trend. More specifically, he points out the major class differences. In Orwell's story, the Party's victory is absolute and its domination is unstoppable. Obviously, today's world has not reached this extreme like Nineteen Eighty-Four's world, but through such an extreme case, Orwell displays the values socialism and an undesirable outcome of capitalism. The main characters in Nineteen Eighty-Four are repressed and forced to work for the benefit of the Inner Party members. Inevitably, the members of the Outer Party feel restless and perform small acts of rebellion. Winston and Julia's acts are small and are quickly subdued. Their rebellion fails because their actions only benefit themselves and do not to help those around them. Their most meaningful act is their meeting with O'Brien, which, if O'Brien hadn't turned out to be a member of the Inner Party, might have led to more meaningful acts. In reality, Julia and Winston do not rebel; they only act differently when they think no one is looking. Winston tells Julia that she's "only a rebel from the waist downwards." This statement can be applied to many modern citizens, and shows that the world does not change because of meaningless, obstinate acts.

Winston's statement is near-universal, because of the nature of people. In a capitalist society, it is natural for people to feel trapped and bored, and then want change. In Winston and Julia's case, they are rebelling because they feel suffocated by the system they live in. Every movement of theirs is watched and scrutinized. Even their thoughts are studied, completely removing their privacy. All members of the Outer Party are monitored like factory robots. They are assigned daily tasks, their data is reviewed, and any anomalies found are dealt with. Special cases like Winston and Julia are imprisoned and fixed by the Inner Party. They are reprogrammed and sent back into the world with the shroud of double-think. The Party can predict anomalies and knows how eradicate them. Also, a large number of anomalies is never allowed. This is the main disadvantage

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