Essay: George Orwell 1984: Human Nature In 1984 - Oct 2016 PDF

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Essay on theme of Human Nature in George Orwell's book 1984. ...

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Grace Parsons

Parsons 1

27 October 2016

Human Nature in 1984

In George Orwell’s novel 1984, a totalitarian state called Oceania is run by a strict inner party and Big Brother, its figurative ruler. The novel follows a man named Winston who chooses to rebel against the party, and is caught, tortured, and eventually released by the party. After his release, Winston is no longer a rebel against the party, but a follower like everyone else. While Orwell tells a great story about a man and his efforts to act out against the government and discover the truth, he also sends a strong message about his views on humanity and human nature. Orwell believes that human nature is weak, that fear is stronger than love, and that in the end humans are selfish. Humans in literature are often portrayed as strong beings, with typical heroes being strong minded and able to fight for what they believe in, no matter the circumstances. When first reading 1984, one might think it will be about a hero, Winston, who joins the brotherhood and while he may never see success, he will die trying. When Winston visits O’Brien’s apartment, he thinks that O’Brien is a member and leader of the Brotherhood, a group that will do anything to stop the party and revert society back to the ways of the past. O’Brien tells Winston, “You will work for a while, you will be caught, you will confess, and then you will die” (176). He makes it clear to Winston that, “There is no possibility that any perceptible change will happen” (176) in his lifetime. Like a typical hero, Winston is ready to fight to free society, even though he knows he will never see success. At this point in time, Winston is in love with Julia, and the two of them have been seeing each other in a room above Mr. Charrington’s shop where they believed they had privacy. O’Brien asks Winston what he would be willing to. Winston is willing to do practically anything for the Brotherhood,

from committing murder to even suicide if necessary. The one act he and Julia refused to do was betray each other. At this point, there is hope in the novel. It appears as if human nature overall is good, and that humans in even the most totalitarian states are still able to come together and overthrow the ‘bad guys’, and stick up for the ones they love. Unfortunately, what Orwell is trying to convey is actually the opposite. Orwell ends up using Winston to illustrate that the human spirit is not strong and noble, but weak. Winston and Julia are taken by the party, and O’Brien had lied about being a member of the Brotherhood. At first, Winston tries to keep his memories and beliefs of the party. Through torture, Winston gives everything up, and is totally mutilated and broken. His spirit of rebellion is completely crushed. Winston is all skin and bones, a skeleton of his former self, yet he is still able to honestly tell O’Brien, “I have not betrayed Julia,” (273). For the final step in Winston’s “reintegration”, Winston is brought to the infamous Room 101, where he faces his worst fear, death by rats. Winston betrays Julia, thus showing that in the end it is human nature to be weak and to give in. A portrayal of the human spirit as strong would have ended with Winston staying true to his beliefs, and dying for them. However, the reality according to Orwell is that in the end humanity is weak and powerless. Some people may be more brave than others, buts as shown in 1984, it does not matter how strong someone is, they can be still broken and controlled. O’Brien tells Winston that it might take long, “You are a difficult case. But don’t give up hope. Everything is cured sooner or later” (274). Some humans like Winston may be tougher than others and it might take longer to break their spirits, but in Orwell’s mind, everyone can be dehumanized. Another of Orwell’s ideas about humanity is the relationship between love and hate. Love is a theme seen constantly in many works of literature. Love in Orwell’s eyes is not seen as a positive and necessary element of life, but an unnecessary feeling easily controlled by fear. To Orwell, fear is what controls humanity. The last line of 1984 refers to Winston saying, “He loved Big Brother (298). This statement is ironic, considering Big Brother is a source of fear for the people of Oceania. With posters of

Big Brother hanging all over Ocean, and the constant paranoia of being watched by Big Brother, people are likely to just comply with the rules, and would never even think of rebelling. Who would dare break the rules when, “Big Brother is Watching You” (2). Winston’s whole world as he knew it was changed by Julia. At first, he just liked meeting with her because he wanted to rebel against the party. The two began to grow closer together, and he falls in love with Julia, and promises never to betray her. When captured Winston feels,  "If I could save Julia

by doubling my own pain, would I do it? Yes, I would" (238). In the end his fear of rats proves to be more powerful than his love for Julia. He screams to O’Brien, “Do it to Julia! Not me! Julia! I don’t care what you do to her. Tear her face off, strip her to the bones. Not me! Julia!” (286). After Winston is allowed back into society he sees Julia, but the love is nonexistent. Like Winston, Julia had also betrayed their love. Besides responding to fear over love, it is human nature to be selfish, according to Orwell. This is demonstrated at the end of the novel, when Winston and Julia betray each other. When put in the intense situation of facing their worst fear, both Winston and Julia choose to save their own lives. Julia says that in the moment, “All you care about is yourself” (292). This shows how when confronted with physical suffering, it is human nature to betray even the ones you love in order to save yourself. In another incident in the Ministry of Love, a prisoner is being dragged off into room 101, and in this scene Orwell portrays human nature as selfish and willing to do anything to save oneself. The man tells the guards, “I’ve got a wife and three children. The biggest of them isn’t six years old. You can take the whole lot of them and cut their throats in front of my eyes, and I’ll stand by and watch it” (237). He even sacrifices one of his cell mates, a man who had just tried help him by giving him a peice of bread. By including this scene, Orwell is specifically painting an image of raw humanity, that in the end people will only care about

themselves. Orwell sees human nature as selfish and weak. To Orwell, the human spirit is controllable. Society has many other preconceived notions about human nature. Many feel that love always prevails. Some feel that many things are human nature, like a sex drive. But to Orwell, even deep rooted ideas and needs like sexual desire are able to be manipulated and controlled. In Oceania, the party controlled sexual desire by having the Two Minutes of Hate each day which not only made people believe they needed Big Brother and the party, but it allowed people to get rid of any pent up sexual frustration. Orwell wants to emphasize that nothing, even physical needs such as sex or emotions are not capable of being controlled. Orwell’s overall message is that everything that makes humans individuals, whether it be love, emotions, sex, or relationships, can be manipulated. A society can use power and fear to control humanity, and crush any signs of individualism....