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.