The Importance Of Collective Memory In 1984 - 2005 Words

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is one of the most famous books of all time and is easily the most well-known dystopian novel. Set in London in the year 1984 (surprise!) the story revolves around a character named Winston and his small rebellion against his society, the nation of Oceania. Oceania is a totalitarian society that attempts to control the thoughts of its citizens through the use propaganda, young indoctrination, threat of punishment, and the constant modification of proof of the past. Because of this extreme control over the society’s collective thought and memory Oceania believes that it can effectively control the past, present and future. Most people disagree with that claim because they believe that the absolute truth†¦show more content†¦Eventually Winston is caught by Oceania and subjected to torture by a man named O’Brien until Winston agrees with everything Oceania claims, just like everyone else. It is very understandable to argue wit h the point of view that fact does not matter, in fact, this is perhaps the single policy of Oceania that Winston is most against. At one point Winston muses that â€Å"if [Oceania] could thrust its hand into the past and say of this or that event, it never happened—that, surely, was more terrifying than mere torture and death† (35). And he is right, that is a terrifying thought. â€Å"Truisms are true, hold onto that!† is the rallying call of logic, it says that â€Å"two plus two make four† (93). That is what most ordinary people will hold onto, the belief that a true statement deserves recognition as such no matter if most people claim as such. At various points in the book Winston wonders that â€Å"perhaps a lunatic was simply a minority of one† (82). He flip-flops between the two sides but at one point, the point that people most agree with him, he decides that â€Å"if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you were not madâ €  (223). It seems logical to agree with Winston and â€Å"believe that reality is something objective, external, existing in its own right† but when one considers the society as a whole one realizes that statement does not matter. It does not matter what reality is, or how a lone individual perceives reality,Show MoreRelated1984, by George Orwell: An Analysis of a Totalitarian Society1605 Words   |  7 Pagespolitical and cultural expression is suppressed, (dictionary.com). Essentially, totalitarianism is a type of government in which the person or people in power seek to maintain absolute control over every person under their authority, with virtually all importance eliminated from the concept of an individual. 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