George Orwell's Power In 1984

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In theory, a government that deprives its people of their emotion, individual thought, and inherent spiritualism should not survive for very long, and eventually succumb to its dissatisfied populace. However, what if the government were to provide an outlet for this excess human emotion, one which they could control? George Orwell creates a frightening setting in his dystopian novel 1984, in which the masses become satisfied with their lack of freedom. Orwell’s story revolves around Winston Smith, a man set on disobeying the reigning totalitarian party and its figurehead, Big Brother. Big Brother remains successful because his regime appeals to the masses as both a governing and spiritual force, making up for the religion banned when the Party …show more content…
In 1984, this power is Big Brother. He reigns supreme over the people of Oceania: immortal, powerful, and omnipresent. As a result, Oceania treats him as a god rather than a political leader. Parallels emerge between Big Brother and religious deities. For example, both are worshipped. A scene in which a group of party members fall to chanting his name upon his appearance describes the affair as “a sort of hymn to wisdom and majesty of Big Brother” (Orwell 16). Furthermore, Big Brother’s “ black-mustachio’d face gaze[s] down from every commanding corner” in an exhibition resembling religious iconography (2). The similarities continue when O’Brien, a member of the Thought Police and the main antagonist of the novel, dubs the elite Inner Party members “the priests of power” in a situation where “‘God is power’” (264). If priests have the ability to interpret the will of God to man, and the Party has the ability to interpret the will of Big Brother, where is the limit? Interestingly, the nature of Big Brother’s existence is never revealed, comparable to debates about the existence of a higher power. The reader never truly knows if there is or was a singular being acting as Big Brother, or if Big Brother only exists through a party that created him. Oceania accepts him …show more content…
While 1984’s ruling Party may seem purely fueled by fear, it thrives on the spiritual connection the people find in Big Brother. The people, almost completely deprived of means to express their emotions, direct them towards the one thing allowed to inspire feelings: Big Brother. Ultimately, Oceania unifies under what resembles a cohesive religious structure, complete with a powerful god-like being, an enemy bent on destruction, and a belief in the system as a
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