Ironic Dehumanization in Nineteen Eighty-Four
By: Ashton Lawrence
In George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell parallels himself to his main character Winston through experiences, flaws, and relationships. This Narcissistic writing results in Winston being the only developed character in the book while his other characters are comparatively flat and shallow. They are dehumanized by their lack of depth, which is ironic given that the novel’s purpose is to critique power systems that strip people of their freedom and humanity.
Orwell writes Winston to have an almost identical childhood to his own which provides a foundation for even larger, deeper similarities. George Orwell was born in India but moved at young age with his family to live in England, this is also where Winston Smith grew up. Family wise, both boys had a sister, though Winston described his as “tiny, ailing, very silent child”, and both families were abandoned by their fathers, all of which would have lasting effects on the boys (Orwell, 161). Perhaps the most significant connection between them though was that though they were raised in a time of peace, they both grew up into a world raging with war. As a young man Orwell dealt with World War II and Winston lived in the EastAsian world war, these dire circumstances served to inspire and motivate them however, and so the connection of political action through writing was formed between them.
Due to their similar foundations, Orwell and Winston respond consistently to world war and controlling governments by using literary talents. From a young age Orwell discovered his natural talent for writing and received many achievements and accolades for it in his young life. Orwell became an influential political writer in 1933 with his first book Down and Out in Paris and London, this was a success as were his controversial essays and symbolic novel Animal Farm that came shortly after. So it is not surprising that Winston Smith also pursues a career as a History Keep in the Ministry of Truth where he rewrites records and histories to eliminate any of the Party’s mistakes in order to ensure that they are always correct. Winston describes this writing position as his “greatest pleasure in life” (Orwell, 43). Through political writing Orwell is able to appeal to the public of his time and provide a warning against totalitarianism, while Winston was able to obtain crucial evidence, that prove to fuel his own faith in the revolution of his time. This consist of him catching the Party in a lie by connecting a photograph at his job with his own personal experience at a café and having a moment, however brief, of holding concrete proof. They both highly value the significance of their professions as Orwell almost dies attempting to quickly write and edit Nineteen Eighty-Four while simultaneously battling with Tuberculosis, and Winston answers “anything [he] is capable of” when asked what he is “prepared to do” for the rebellion (Orwell, 171 and 172).
Another congruency in their adult lives, rooted in their aligned childhoods, are their relationships and experiences with women. Both men were married for a time before both are left, through death and physical departure, by their wives. In his early life, Orwell attended three different boarding schools, all of which were boys only, severely limiting his interaction with the opposite sex. Later on, though it was common in his time period, he did not participate in the business of brothels or prostitution (Tirohl, 60). According to those close to him, he always seemed rather uninterested and uncomfortable around women (Meyer, 199). The scholar Tirohl accredits these aspects of Orwell’s life to the discrepancies in his novel revolving around women and sex. This is why Winston, though intentionally committing an irreversible crime against the Party in rebellion, refuses to continue his sexual relationship with Julia while she is on her period. Tirohl argues that this, as well as other small references in the story, do not make total sense and indicates that Winston’s inconsistent behavior is a direct result of George Orwell’s own lack of experience.
Another example of Orwell paralleling Winston to himself is of them sharing the intimate experience of being abandoned by their fathers. Orwell’s own inability to overcome this incident however is evident though his description of Big Brother as “an invincible, fearless protector”, despite being the figurehead for the Party. (Orwell, 15). In the novel, Big Brother symbolizes a very paternal figure, which serves as the basis for Winston’s downfall at the end of the novel. Orwell allows his lack of paternal nurturing to echo through his character, showing this by expressing his feelings that “everything was all right, the struggle was finished” when Winston finally has a father figure to love at the end of the novel (Orwell, 298).
As opposed to Winston, who is deeply rooted in the foundation of Orwell’s own archive of feelings and experiences, Julia, his lover, is a comparatively flat and shallow character. Whenever Winston talks of deep, meaningful concerns, “principles of Ingsoc, doublethink, the mutability of the past and the denial of objective reality”, he reports her reaction as “bored and confused” (Orwell, 156). Throughout their entire rebellion she is perceived to be invested in just the sexual side of their misconduct and not the complete political act it signifies, as Winston is. Winston highlights on this with his famous line, “You’re only a rebel from the waist downwards.” to which she responds by naively laughing (Orwell, 156). The scholar Blu Tirohl describes her as “incapable of abstract thought”, saying that she “uses simpler intellectual routes than Winston.” (Tirohl, 4)
O’Brien, a member of the Inner Party serves as the novel’s antagonist, is another two-dimensional character featured in Nineteen Eighty-Four. Upon O’Brien’s first meeting with Winston he boldly toasts, “To our Leader: To Emmanuel Goldstein”, who is the face of the organized rebellion against the Party known as The Brotherhood, which clearly conveys on which side his allegiance lies (Orwell, 171). Winston even goes so far as to compare O’Brien to Goldstein himself, viewing Goldstein as a mere “shadowy figure” while saying “there was no stratagem that he was not equal to, no danger that he could not foresee” about O’Brien (Orwell, 175). However, later it is discovered that O’Brien actually is for the Party, and “It was O’Brien who was directing everything” (Orwell, 243). Though this is a complete revolution from the original position O’Brien was presented as, in both situation he is holds significant power and authority. In both of these instances O’Brien is presented as completely one way or the other and never with an area of gray in the middle or anything besides absolute compliance with the Brotherhood, or absolute compliance with the Party. This causes him as a character to seem very white or black, and lacking in human opinion and thought.
Orwell’s inability to develop the characters in his book who do not representing himself, show the intensity of his own self-interest. This suggests a condition of Narcissism, a psychological condition which causes on to be overly concerned with themselves.
Due to his condition, Orwell’s writing is perceived by some to be sexist. The scholar Daphne Patai argues that Orwell “largely excluded [women]” in his writing (Patai, 2). Speaking directly about Nineteen Eighty-Four, Patai said “it [was] in [her] view a logical consequence of Orwell’s commitment to a not clearly articulated paradigm that polarizes human beings according to sex roles and gender identity and legitimizes male displays of dominance and aggression” (Patai, 17). However, it is actually the combination of Orwell’s Narcissism and inexperience with women that are the contributing factors to the supposed sexism. His unconscious focus on himself through Winston is what actually leads to the discounting and demeaning of other characters, who, as we see through the analysis of O’Brien and Julia, are actually both male and female.
The novel Nineteen Eighty-Four was written by George Orwell as a warning to make people aware of the power of Socialism and Totalitarianism governments. Throughout the novel he highlights and emphasizes the gloom of such a circumstance and the loss of individuality it creates, providing the reader with a constant sense of despair and gloom. From the opening scene of the book Winston begins setting the mood, and our first glimpse at his world is that “though the sun was shining and the sky a harsh blue, there seemed to be no color in anything except the posters that were plastered everywhere” (Orwell, 2). From the beginning we see the power of the government, represented by the posters, dominating everything, rendering them colorless.
However, due to his own inability to overcome his Narcissistic tendencies, he creates the exact sense of lack of individuality in the majority of his characters. George Orwell manages to create dehumanization in his characters while simultaneously warning people about its dangers in government.
References:
Meyers, Jeffrey. A Reader's Guide to George Orwell. London: Thames & Hudson, 1975. Print
Meyers, Jeffrey. George Orwell: The Critical Heritage. London: Routledge & K. Paul, 1975. Print.
Orwell, George, and Erich Fromm. 1984: A Novel. New York, NY: Signet Classic, 1961. Print.
Patai, Daphne. “The Orwell Mystique: A Study in Male Ideology”. Amherst: U of Massachusetts, 1984. Print.
Quinn, Edward. Critical Companion to George Orwell: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work. New York: Facts on File, 2009. Print.
Tirohl, Blu. "`We Are The Dead...You Are The Dead'”. An Examination Of Sexuality As A Weapon Of Revolt In Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four." Journal Of Gender Studies 9.1 (2000): 55. Academic Search Complete. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
In George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell parallels himself to his main character Winston through experiences, flaws, and relationships. This Narcissistic writing results in Winston being the only developed character in the book while his other characters are comparatively flat and shallow. They are dehumanized by their lack of depth, which is ironic given that the novel’s purpose is to critique power systems that strip people of their freedom and humanity.
Orwell writes Winston to have an almost identical childhood to his own which provides a foundation for even larger, deeper similarities. George Orwell was born in India but moved at young age with his family to live in England, this is also where Winston Smith grew up. Family wise, both boys had a sister, though Winston described his as “tiny, ailing, very silent child”, and both families were abandoned by their fathers, all of which would have lasting effects on the boys (Orwell, 161). Perhaps the most significant connection between them though was that though they were raised in a time of peace, they both grew up into a world raging with war. As a young man Orwell dealt with World War II and Winston lived in the EastAsian world war, these dire circumstances served to inspire and motivate them however, and so the connection of political action through writing was formed between them.
Due to their similar foundations, Orwell and Winston respond consistently to world war and controlling governments by using literary talents. From a young age Orwell discovered his natural talent for writing and received many achievements and accolades for it in his young life. Orwell became an influential political writer in 1933 with his first book Down and Out in Paris and London, this was a success as were his controversial essays and symbolic novel Animal Farm that came shortly after. So it is not surprising that Winston Smith also pursues a career as a History Keep in the Ministry of Truth where he rewrites records and histories to eliminate any of the Party’s mistakes in order to ensure that they are always correct. Winston describes this writing position as his “greatest pleasure in life” (Orwell, 43). Through political writing Orwell is able to appeal to the public of his time and provide a warning against totalitarianism, while Winston was able to obtain crucial evidence, that prove to fuel his own faith in the revolution of his time. This consist of him catching the Party in a lie by connecting a photograph at his job with his own personal experience at a café and having a moment, however brief, of holding concrete proof. They both highly value the significance of their professions as Orwell almost dies attempting to quickly write and edit Nineteen Eighty-Four while simultaneously battling with Tuberculosis, and Winston answers “anything [he] is capable of” when asked what he is “prepared to do” for the rebellion (Orwell, 171 and 172).
Another congruency in their adult lives, rooted in their aligned childhoods, are their relationships and experiences with women. Both men were married for a time before both are left, through death and physical departure, by their wives. In his early life, Orwell attended three different boarding schools, all of which were boys only, severely limiting his interaction with the opposite sex. Later on, though it was common in his time period, he did not participate in the business of brothels or prostitution (Tirohl, 60). According to those close to him, he always seemed rather uninterested and uncomfortable around women (Meyer, 199). The scholar Tirohl accredits these aspects of Orwell’s life to the discrepancies in his novel revolving around women and sex. This is why Winston, though intentionally committing an irreversible crime against the Party in rebellion, refuses to continue his sexual relationship with Julia while she is on her period. Tirohl argues that this, as well as other small references in the story, do not make total sense and indicates that Winston’s inconsistent behavior is a direct result of George Orwell’s own lack of experience.
Another example of Orwell paralleling Winston to himself is of them sharing the intimate experience of being abandoned by their fathers. Orwell’s own inability to overcome this incident however is evident though his description of Big Brother as “an invincible, fearless protector”, despite being the figurehead for the Party. (Orwell, 15). In the novel, Big Brother symbolizes a very paternal figure, which serves as the basis for Winston’s downfall at the end of the novel. Orwell allows his lack of paternal nurturing to echo through his character, showing this by expressing his feelings that “everything was all right, the struggle was finished” when Winston finally has a father figure to love at the end of the novel (Orwell, 298).
As opposed to Winston, who is deeply rooted in the foundation of Orwell’s own archive of feelings and experiences, Julia, his lover, is a comparatively flat and shallow character. Whenever Winston talks of deep, meaningful concerns, “principles of Ingsoc, doublethink, the mutability of the past and the denial of objective reality”, he reports her reaction as “bored and confused” (Orwell, 156). Throughout their entire rebellion she is perceived to be invested in just the sexual side of their misconduct and not the complete political act it signifies, as Winston is. Winston highlights on this with his famous line, “You’re only a rebel from the waist downwards.” to which she responds by naively laughing (Orwell, 156). The scholar Blu Tirohl describes her as “incapable of abstract thought”, saying that she “uses simpler intellectual routes than Winston.” (Tirohl, 4)
O’Brien, a member of the Inner Party serves as the novel’s antagonist, is another two-dimensional character featured in Nineteen Eighty-Four. Upon O’Brien’s first meeting with Winston he boldly toasts, “To our Leader: To Emmanuel Goldstein”, who is the face of the organized rebellion against the Party known as The Brotherhood, which clearly conveys on which side his allegiance lies (Orwell, 171). Winston even goes so far as to compare O’Brien to Goldstein himself, viewing Goldstein as a mere “shadowy figure” while saying “there was no stratagem that he was not equal to, no danger that he could not foresee” about O’Brien (Orwell, 175). However, later it is discovered that O’Brien actually is for the Party, and “It was O’Brien who was directing everything” (Orwell, 243). Though this is a complete revolution from the original position O’Brien was presented as, in both situation he is holds significant power and authority. In both of these instances O’Brien is presented as completely one way or the other and never with an area of gray in the middle or anything besides absolute compliance with the Brotherhood, or absolute compliance with the Party. This causes him as a character to seem very white or black, and lacking in human opinion and thought.
Orwell’s inability to develop the characters in his book who do not representing himself, show the intensity of his own self-interest. This suggests a condition of Narcissism, a psychological condition which causes on to be overly concerned with themselves.
Due to his condition, Orwell’s writing is perceived by some to be sexist. The scholar Daphne Patai argues that Orwell “largely excluded [women]” in his writing (Patai, 2). Speaking directly about Nineteen Eighty-Four, Patai said “it [was] in [her] view a logical consequence of Orwell’s commitment to a not clearly articulated paradigm that polarizes human beings according to sex roles and gender identity and legitimizes male displays of dominance and aggression” (Patai, 17). However, it is actually the combination of Orwell’s Narcissism and inexperience with women that are the contributing factors to the supposed sexism. His unconscious focus on himself through Winston is what actually leads to the discounting and demeaning of other characters, who, as we see through the analysis of O’Brien and Julia, are actually both male and female.
The novel Nineteen Eighty-Four was written by George Orwell as a warning to make people aware of the power of Socialism and Totalitarianism governments. Throughout the novel he highlights and emphasizes the gloom of such a circumstance and the loss of individuality it creates, providing the reader with a constant sense of despair and gloom. From the opening scene of the book Winston begins setting the mood, and our first glimpse at his world is that “though the sun was shining and the sky a harsh blue, there seemed to be no color in anything except the posters that were plastered everywhere” (Orwell, 2). From the beginning we see the power of the government, represented by the posters, dominating everything, rendering them colorless.
However, due to his own inability to overcome his Narcissistic tendencies, he creates the exact sense of lack of individuality in the majority of his characters. George Orwell manages to create dehumanization in his characters while simultaneously warning people about its dangers in government.
References:
Meyers, Jeffrey. A Reader's Guide to George Orwell. London: Thames & Hudson, 1975. Print
Meyers, Jeffrey. George Orwell: The Critical Heritage. London: Routledge & K. Paul, 1975. Print.
Orwell, George, and Erich Fromm. 1984: A Novel. New York, NY: Signet Classic, 1961. Print.
Patai, Daphne. “The Orwell Mystique: A Study in Male Ideology”. Amherst: U of Massachusetts, 1984. Print.
Quinn, Edward. Critical Companion to George Orwell: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work. New York: Facts on File, 2009. Print.
Tirohl, Blu. "`We Are The Dead...You Are The Dead'”. An Examination Of Sexuality As A Weapon Of Revolt In Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four." Journal Of Gender Studies 9.1 (2000): 55. Academic Search Complete. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.