From Belief to Disbelief and Back Again

       As my grandfather told me when I first started reading 1984 by George Orwell, the first sentence foreshadows a lot of the philosophical controversy in the book. Because of this, I will attempt to analyze the first sentence and see if he is right. It reads, "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen" (1). The phrase "bright cold day in April" is strange because April is normally warm. Also the fact that it is a "bright" day makes the reader think that the sun must be out, implying that the weather is warm. The next odd discrepancy is that the "clocks were striking thirteen." The old clocks that "strike" a time generally are analog and only go up to twelve. The clock striking thirteen implies that this society must be on military time. The number thirteen cannot be a coincidence. Thirteen also carries serious connotation in society today, it is symbolically a very unlucky number. These two weirdly contradictory phrases in the first sentence, do in fact foreshadow the Oceanic philosophy, specifically an idea called doublethink. To be a complacent member of society, one must be able to reconcile a fact that clearly contradicts their memory and the world around them with the idea that whatever Big Brother says must be true. Likewise, the reader must reconcile these weird and potentially logically flawed opening descriptions with the idea that the author gets to decide what is truth and what is not in his novel. The thirteen is present to foreshadow the bad luck that Winston experiences later in the book. He is captured and tortured for most of part three.
       With the conclusion of 1984, I have recognized the interconnectedness of all the objects I traced in my three previous posts. First I have realized that the power symbolized by the telescreen is instrumental in the Oceanic philosophy of truth. Big Brother's ability to change facts at will rests on the fact that the Party can convict people of thoughtcrime at a moments notice. The telescreens also allow Big Brother to convey any message to all the Party members at a moments notice. Even the slightest dissent in the belief of truth can cause massive turmoil in this society.Another two themes that are closely tied are the idea of truth and Winston's love for Julia. When Winston feels that the truth is set in stone, it coincides with his passionate love for Julia. Perhaps this is because this is an illegal thought and Julia symbolizes Winston's desire to break the law. Likewise, when Winston begins to agree with Big Brother's idea that the truth is fluid, he and Julia lose a lot of their chemistry and their relationship tails off.
       One thematic conclusion I came to through reading this novel is that there does not exist an exact truth to every event. Big Brother attempts to control the memories and written records so that it has full control over the "truth" of the past. It seems that Orwell portrays this concept as ridiculous. Orwell presents both sides of this truth issue, and I did not finish the book feeling as if either side was entirely correct. A statement that is articulated many times though, even by O'Brien in his monologues to Winston, is that the truth of an event lies only in the observer. For that reason, I have come to the conclusion that there cannot exist an absolute truth to any event. This is especially timely with our discussions of The Things They Carried and Atonement currently going on. Both of these authors present their texts without declaring an absolute truth. They seem to feel that the storytelling truth is what is relevant, and that storytelling is a very subjective process.
      In terms of close reading, I am very proud of the way I read this book. It is easy to go into this book with an anti-socialist viewpoint already established, and then disagree with everything that Big Brother stands for. Instead I read and reread both the Goldstein philosophy about society and O'Brien's dictation about what Big Brother stands for. Many of these points are eye opening, especially the quest for power. This is a fundamental struggle in society, and it humanizes the motives of Big Brother. Another pitfall readers can run into with this book is relating it too much to the society that we are set in. The reader has to remove themselves from the bounds of our world, even though both universes seem so similar. This was something I attempted to do. In the first 100 pages I attempted to identify objects and characters that would take on layered meanings as the text moved on. I wrote about some of these in my blogs, and I was able to closely follow many moving parts.
       I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in political philosophy. To fully understand the socialist philosophy, one needs to immerse themselves in the culture from a relatable viewpoint. This book was my first up close look at socialism. It is incredibly interesting to grapple with how the inner Party is able to govern so effectively with six million members and very little structure. I am also amazed by how much this got me thinking about truth. I am not sure I really know what the truth of an event is anymore. As Winston gets persuaded to become obedient, I could kind of relate to his switch. This book is gripping and full of intrigue.

Julia

One of the most polarizing characters in 1984, by George Orwell, is Julia. She is first introduced as a mysterious character that follows Winston around: “The girl with dark hair was sitting immediately behind” (11). Soon after this, Julia makes contact with Winston and convinces him to come meet her in private so that they can make love. Winston has very complicated feelings towards Julia, that seem to shift with relation to his hatred of the party. Winston confronts Julia about how many times she’s had sex before and responds: “His heart leapt. Scores of times she had done it; he wished it had been hundreds--thousands. Anything that hinted at corruption always filled him with a wild hope” (125). This is a weird reaction to have about a lover. In a very animalistic sense, humans want to feel as if their sexual interactions are unique and special, especially since these two claim to be in love. This passage struck me as odd because Winston seems to enjoy the act of defiance more than the sense of intimacy.

It seems as if Winstons emotions slowly change as he spends more time with Julia and starts to value her personality. Eventually they meet up again out at an abandoned church and, “The sat talking for hours on the dusty…” (129). As Julia and Winston start to interact more, they enjoy each others company. At this point I am still confused as to whether or not Winston likes her because she is dangerous and forbidden, or because they connect on another level.

Winston and Julia are offered a chance to become a part of the Brotherhood later in the book. O’Brien asks them a series of questions to gauge their seriousness in the organization. He asks, “‘You are prepared, the two of you, to separate and never see one another again?’...’No.’ he said finally” (173). This is a big revelation in Winston’s emotion with regards to Julia. He has finally gotten access to a strong rebellion movement that he doesn’t need Julia for. Although it takes much deliberation, he agrees that his desire to be with Julia trumps his dedication to The Brotherhood.

Finally, Winston is captured at the end of the book and his faith in Julia is put to the final test. After a long period of torcher, he is asked a few questions by O’Brien. “‘Can you think of a single degradation that has not happened to you?’...’I have not betrayed Julia’” (273). Not twenty pages later, Winston finally gives Julia up as he is being tortured, “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! Not me!” (286). I am hesitant to say that Winston’s love for Julia is symbolic of something more than just love. It does heavily coincide with his philosophy with respect to truth though. Before he meets Julia, he only disagrees with the party in his mind and his journal. As they fall in love, he starts to passionately disagree with and disobey the Party. He essentially gives up Julia when he is tortured into becoming an obedient member of the party. This reinforces my thought that he is in love with Julia because she is forbidden, not because he enjoys her personality.

Telescreens

One of the most interesting inventions from George Orwell’s 1984 is that of a telescreen. A telescreen is first introduced as, “An oblong metal plaque like a dulled mirror which formed part of the surface of the right-hand wall. Winston turned a switch and the voice sank somewhat, though the words were still distinguishable” (2). I am of the (potentially unfounded) opinion that telescreens are a symbol of pure domination. In nearly every scene where Winston is feeling oppressed or watched, it is due to a telescreen. The Two Minute hate, “burst from the big telescreen” (11). When Winston is finally caught for thoughtcrime, it is by a telescreen, “The picture had fallen to the floor, uncovering the telescreen behind it” (222). Winston and Julia do not even attempt to run when the telescreen catches them. They are frozen in terror. In Winston’s description of his jail cell, he notices, “There were four telescreens, one in each wall” (225).

Telescreens are incredibly versatile objects. It is mentioned that they can pick up an irregular heartbeat and notice many irregularities. They also pass all of the new on to the people living in Oceania. They are such a prevalent object that at first I overlooked them and took them for granted as a part of society. In reality, the telescreen is one of the only physical differences between the world in 1984, and our reality. Telescreens literally are the portrayal of the socialist dictatorship that is Oceania. They keep everyone in line, and notice things such as thoughtcrimes, or thinking something that is not within Big Brother’s philosophy.

Telescreens embody the societal structure that is outlined in The Book. Goldstein outlines a way that the upper class can fall from power. Essentially he says that a government that is inefficient or loses faith in itselfs can collapse. He then goes on to argue that, “A ruling class which could guard against all of them would remain in power permanently” (207). The invention of the telescreen is the Party’s attempt at such domination. They have smothered out rebellion by not allowing individual thought.

In reality, it seems that telescreens are the physical embodiment of power. In one of his final dialogues with Winston, O’Brien claims that Oceania is built on the premise of obtaining power and holding on to it. It is never clear exactly who has power, but that is part of a socialist society. The Party holds all the power, and it is not given to any one person. The Party owns all of the telescreens, and they essentially use it to police themselves. In that sense, telescreens embody what is so hypocritical or confusing about the Oceanic society, the idea that a group mentality can morph without direct order or hierarchy.

The Truth Behind Oceania

Winston Smith, the main character in 1984 by George Orwell, is a cog in an oppressive socialist state called Oceania, run by The Party. The first major portion of the story follows Winston as he carries out his daily activities and questions the idea of truth in his society. The premise of the society that has been created is that the figureheads, namely Big Brother, can manipulate society in whatever way they want, and everyone must agree with it or they will be “vaporized.” Winston is employed to edit documents so that Big Brother is always right: “Today’s issue contained a statement of the actual output, from which it appeared that the forecasts were in every instance grossly wrong.  Winston’s job was to rectify the original figures by making them agree with the later ones” (39). It seems very strange that this society is so obviously fabricating their history. Winston recalls things that occurred earlier that are now not a part of history, and that nobody else in society recognizes as truth: “Even the names of the countries, and their shapes on the map, had been different” (32). This provides Winston with a weird dilemma. He understands that the past is being manipulated, but he struggles with whether or not it matters, and what he should do about it.

Winston’s view on truth gets manipulated throughout the book based on who he meets and what their opinions are. The first major outside opinion that Winston encounters is that of Julia, who doubts many of the aspects of The Party. She denounces the existence of the war, “She startled him by saying casually that in her opinion the war was not happening” (153). While Winston generally doubted the validity of the facts that The Party expressed about the past, he had never doubted the facts about the present state of Oceania. The idea that The Party is directly lying to him is a shocking idea.

Winston gains additional input on the truth from The Book, written by The Brotherhood (the underground resistance movement). The Book claims that, “This day-to-day falsification of the past, carried out by the Ministry of Truth, is as necessary to the stability of the regime as the work of repression and espionage carried out by the Ministry of Love” (213). The Brotherhood solidifies how Winston feels about the manipulation of truth and provides justification. They argue it is a necessary step towards the stability of the state.

The end of this book is wild. Winston is captured by the Ministry of Love, and the philosophy of The Party is explained to him. O’Brien, his torturer and overseer(?), makes the argument that the only way for society to properly function is through the process of “doublethink.” He claims, “‘We, the Party, control all records, and we control all memories. Then we control the past, do we not?’” (248). After serious torture, it seems that Winston’s view on truth rapidly shifts. He starts to agree with the Party on the premise that the “truth” can be manipulated by convincing society of a different idea. The truth is essentially whatever Big Brother dictates.