1984

 1984 is a political novel written with the purpose of warning readers in the West of the dangers of totalitarian
government.
 Orwell wanted to warn about how to approach the rise of Communism.
 He was disturbed by the cruelties and oppressions he observed in communist countries and was concerned
by the role of technology in enabling oppressive governments to monitor and control their citizens.
 The title of the novel was meant to indicate to its readers that the story represents a real possibility for the
near future if the totalitarianism were not opposed.

THEMES IN THE NOVEL

Psychological manipulation
 The party wants to overwhelm the mind’s capacity for independent thoughts.
 The giant telescreen in every citizen's room is a form of propaganda designed to make the party appear
triumphant and successful.
 Citizens are continuously reminded that the authorities are scrutinizing them.
 The party undermines family structures by inducting children to spy on their parents.

Physical manipulation 
 The Party also controls the bodies of its citizens (servi).
 The Party watches for any sign of disloyalty, to the point that even a tiny facial twitch could lead to an arrest.
 A person’s own nervous system becomes his greatest enemy so the party forces its members to do mass
morning exercises and then to work for a long time.
 Anyone who tries to defy the party is punished and re-educated through torture.
 Winston comes to the conclusion that nothing is more powerful than physical pain.
 By conditioning the minds of their victims with physical torture, the Party is able to control reality, convincing
that 2 plus (+) 2 makes (=) 5.

Control and information

 The party controls every source of information, managing and rewriting the content of all newspapers and
histories of the past so that memories become fuzzy and unreliable and citizens become perfectly willing to
believe whatever the Party tells them.

Technology 
 By telescreen and microphones the party monitors its members all the time.
 1984 was written in the era before computers so it reveals that technology, can facilitate the most diabolical
evil.
 
Language as minds control 
 The language of Newspeak limits the ideas that individuals are capable of formulating and expressing, so it
becomes impossible to have rebellious thoughts.
 Language is seen as a controlling force.
 During colonial times, foreign powers took political and military control and, as a part of their occupation,
instituted their own language as the language of government and business (India).

Loyalty
 The only possible loyalty is to the party.
 Neighbours inform on one another; Mr Parson’s own child reports him to the Thought Police; in the end the
Party makes Winston stop loving Julia and love Big Brother instead, the only form of loyalty allowed. 

Revolution
 Winston hopes for the proles’ revolution against the party as they are greater in number than the party and
could have the strength to organize themselves against it.
 The problem is that the proles have been subject to such serious poverty for so long that they are unable to
see a goal other than survival.
 The idea of trying to build a better world is too much for them to contemplate.
Independence and identity
 Independence and identity are both controlled by the party: Winston does not know how old he is, if he is
married or not, if he is alive or dead; none of these memories are reliable.
 Every citizen is identical, they are not unique individuals with specific identifying details: they wear the same
clothing, smoke the same brand of cigarettes, drink the same brand of gin, so forming a sense of individual
identity is quite impossible (nowadays globalization).

Winston attempts to maintain his independence and identity: 

 Keeping/having a diary recording his thoughts
 When he buys the paperweight (ferma carte) as it was tied to a time before the Party
 His relationship with Julia.

When he is returned to society, he has lost all independence and uniqueness, and has become part of the Party’s
faceless collectivity.