1984: Totalitarian Power Essay

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Controlled Insanity
Throughout the novel 1984, George Orwell uses language and thought control to show that an overly restricted government makes its citizens suffer and have no way for them to express their complaints. The party controls their citizens through a totalitarian rule. The government represses their citizens to maintain their power. Thus, they take away the right of free thought in order to have absolute command over the citizens of Oceania.
By living a regulated life, Winston’s every movement and thoughts are watched by a thought police. One must remain orthodox so they are not “vaporized.” The reader eventually learns that orthodoxy “means not thinking” and “unconsciousness” (53). In fact, this shows that any form of individual thought is considered an act of heresy. One must realize that to achieve orthodoxy is nearly unattainable, for it is human nature to have our own opinions and ideas. For the human mind to not think, it must think in order to achieve a state of not thinking. This is known as “doublethink” to Winston’s society. Moreover, in able to practice “doublethink” one must have a “controlled insanity” (216). Orwell observes that one has to be mental in order to believe that “two and two make five” and “freedom is slavery” because the reader immediately recognizes that is illogical (277). Consequently, those who couldn't achieve unconsciousness were punished, as is seen with Winston. Thus, to not suffer the consequences, one must believe what is wrong is right and vice versa in order to comply with the restrictions set by Winston’s government. As a result, the author conveys that the control a powerful government can have over thoughts and behaviors can be nightmarish if the government abuses it.
Along with thought control, Orwell implies that language can be used effectively to oppress citizens. A new language is being formed, by the name of Newspeak, in the novel. We learn from one of Winston’s coworkers that “the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought” (52). This statement in itself illustrates the motive of
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