Essay about 1984: Nineteen Eighty-four and Big Brother

Submitted By chrisclark2
Words: 739
Pages: 3

The first illustration of Big Brother is the most important idea of the novel 1984. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU. Big Brother is the face of the Party, the leader of the great totalitarian government. His actual existence is never confirmed throughout the book but the belief is that he watches through the telescreen to watch every move that is made. The big brother is symbolic for the party itself which has total control of everything that goes on, even as far as your thoughts. For wrong thoughts, people are arrested and taken in by “thought police.” No one really knows if Big brother really exists or not but the smartest thing to do would be to live your life in fear of his existence and obey his every command. The party in this book is ran by this controversial character and the party controls the way the citizens live, they also control the history and they change it to fit whatever they want it to be in order to brain wash their citizens. Big Brother acts as reassurance and a trustworthy entity for many much to the role of a real big brother, but he is also the biggest threat to those who are disobedient to the party would often be killed. In the second and third illustration Winston is at work one morning, and Winston is on his way to the restroom when he sees a dark haired lady with her arm in a sling and she suddenly falls. Winston then quickly helps her up and as he helps her, she passes him a note that reads, “I love you.” Winston is beyond baffled by the note as he longs to figure out the meaning of the letter but there is much suspicion. Winston has suspected this woman to be a spy that has been keeping an eye on him for a while and all of a sudden this happens and it ultimately leaves Winston full of puzzles. This encounter gives Winston a much more positive outlook on life and gives him a fire to live again. Many days go by and Winston says nothing to the woman but one day they end up at the same table for lunch. To avoid being seen by others they sneak and talk at the table with their heads down, where they plan to meet up at Victory Square which would be the safest place away from telescreens and people. The time comes and they meet up and then she gives him directions to a secret place where he has to take a train from Paddington Station, and they manage to hold each other’s hands while talking amongst themselves. The fourth and fifth illustrations depict the sexual rebellion as well as the rebellion with the brotherhood in which Julia and Winston are accompanied by O’brien. Although Julia isn’t as obsessed with rebellion