Themes, Motifs, and Symbols in 1984 | Albert Literature Resources (2024)

Major Themes in 1984

In the dystopian novel 1984, George Orwell’s use of a totalitarian government exemplifies its themes throughout the story. Themes and motifs such as censorship, freedom, and propaganda are prevalent throughout the novel and explored through the suspense of Big Brother’s control and motives. Orwell’s use of language defines what it means to be a citizen of Oceania and its threats to individuality and freedom.

Propaganda

Propaganda is defined as information, typically biased, used to support a certain point of view. Through the use of telescreens, slogans, and other pieces of propaganda, the loyalty of the Oceania citizens is controlled and manipulated by the Party. Unbeknownst to themselves, the citizens lose their ability to think on their own and live in a world full of devotion and patriotism. Much like the World War I Uncle Sam poster, which is a United States staple piece of propaganda, the Party uses posters of Big Brother as a patriotic symbol.

The Ministry of Truth, where the protagonist, Winston Smith, works, is responsible for dispersing all information to its people. The Ministry distorts history and facts, regardless of their accuracy, to support and promote the ideology behind the Party. This form of propaganda is just one of many that diminish the individualistic freedoms of Oceania.

The propaganda used in Orwell’s dystopia defines what it means to be a loyal citizen to the Party. The propaganda influences the citizen’s perception of what is real and what isn’t.

Loyalty

Loyalty to the Party is more than dedication to government. In 1984, the citizens must be submissive to the Party in every way. Without submissive behavior and unquestionable compliance, the totalitarian government cannot exist. Loyalty within the Party lies deeper than any other relationship, including those of father and child.

The most prevalent example of loyalty lies within Winston and Julia. Winston and Julia’s relationship with each other proves that there is no loyalty beyond that of the government. The only love accepted in Oceania is the love that serves Big Brother. However, Julia and Winston’s mutual hatred for the Party and its ideologies create their faithfulness to each other. As the relationship and individual loyalty develop, a secret Thought Policeman, O’Brien, intervenes and develops a relationship with Winston when he senses noncompliance to Big Brother’s loyalty.

Julia and Winston’s love and rebellion against the totalitarian government ends in dismay when captured by the O’Brien and the Thought Police. After their capture, Winston’s love for Julia is replaced by the love for Big Brother, exemplifying the loyalty mindset of the Party. As O’Brien states, “You must love Big Brother. It is not enough to obey him; you must love him” (Orwell 252).

Manipulation

There are many forms of manipulation strewn throughout 1984. The biggest form of manipulation is the language of Newspeak, Oceania’s replacement for English. Language allows individuality, knowledge and freedom to think and speak as one feels. As a manipulation tactic, the Party controls the masses through this new use of language. Newspeak is constantly being altered and perfected. The Party perfects the language by continuously limiting what the individual can think and speak. Through this manipulation, The Party ensures that there is no rebellion or thought that goes against the Party’s ideology.

Beyond mind manipulation, the Party also controls the body. The citizens of Oceania are required to complete Physical Jerks daily, then go to their government job, and keep up with the Party’s political agenda. The punishment for any sort of rebellion is met with physical and mental torture. With this manipulation of mind and body, the Party reaches its ideology behind totalitarianism.

Motifs and Symbols in 1984

The ideology and dangers behind totalitarianism, propaganda, and censorship are conveyed through Orwell’s use of symbolism and motifs. Orwell uses the irony of doublethink to show how manipulation and control can restrict one’s individuality and freedom. The concept behind Big Brother represents more than just the leader of Oceania, but rather the dictatorial presence over the nation.

Doublethink

Doublethink is a mind-manipulation strategy in which individuals hold two contradictory ideas simultaneously and believe both are true. Orwell’s language use throughout 1984 illustrates what it is to doublethink. The Party uses this strategy to invoke loyalty in its citizens.

The names of the Ministries in 1984 exemplify the idea of doublethink, “The Ministry of Truth, which concerned itself with news, entertainment, education, and the fine arts. The Ministry of Peace, which concerned itself with war. The Ministry of Love, which maintained law and order. And the Ministry of Plenty, which was responsible for economic affairs. Their names, in Newspeak: Minitrue, Minipax, Miniluv, and Miniplenty” (Orwell 4).

In reality, the Ministry of Peace is in charge of waging war, the Ministry of Truth manipulates and distorts information, the Ministry of Love oversees punishment, and the Ministry of Plenty focuses on economic shortcomings. Orwell’s use of irony in these examples highlights how Oceania manipulates its citizens’ minds in order to gain complete control and remove the ability for citizens to have independent thought, creating the idealistic totalitarian government.

Big Brother

Orwell’s totalitarian government focuses heavily on Big Brother. The face of the Party has never been seen, however, and fear reigns across a nation as his presence is shown. As described in the text, “…the face of Big Brother seemed to persist for several seconds on the screen, as though the impact that it had made on everyone’s eyeballs was too vivid to wear off immediately,” Big Brother’s intimidation lies deep within its citizens (Orwell 21). Big Brother symbolizes power and the state and the complete oppression of society.

Telescreens

Telescreens are used as constant surveillance for the people of Oceania and as a tactic to spread the Party’s propaganda. Orwell uses telescreens to symbolize how the totalitarian government abuses its power through different means; in this case, the telescreens are directly an abuse of technology. The telescreens watch citizens’ every move, tracking their facial features and reporting any suspicion to the Thought Police. As described in 1984:

“The telescreen received and transmitted simultaneously. Any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it, moreover, so long as he remained within the field of vision which the metal plaque commanded, he could be seen as well as heard. There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. But at any rate they could plug in your wire whenever they wanted to. You had to live—did live, from habit that became instinct—in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized.” (Orwell 2)

Conclusion

The dehumanizing political philosophies of the Party are established through the various themes and motifs of the story. Orwell’s warnings about government control are manifested throughout this novel by the use of propaganda, mind- manipulation, and fear. By looking deeper into the use of language and symbolism, it is abundantly apparent: Big Brother is watching you.

Works Cited

Elder, Natalie. “Uncle Sam: The Man and the Meme.” National Museum of American History, 3 May 2016, americanhistory.si.edu/blog/2013/09/uncle-sam-the-man-and-the-meme-the-origins-of-uncle-sam.html.

Orwell, George. 1984. Penguin Books, 2020.