The world created by Orwell consists of three political powers competing: Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia. Because of the permanent clashes, society is deprived of good products, subject to surveillance. Poverty is widespread, a general decline of strength among people deprived of individuality and incapable of personal freedom. As a result, Orwell’s utopian world consists of a monotonous mass of people who have found their protection in uniformity. There is no objective truth in the collective consciousness, and the ruling party promotes slogans denigrating freedom.
Society (very small, only 300 million in Oceania) is disenfranchised, and a rigid social hierarchy restricts it. Among the psychological aspects of the world are bans on love and relationships (thoughtcrime), pressure on children, training in speculation, and manipulation. The higher party imposes doublethink- the ability to believe in two mutually exclusive things, with the consequence being that the world lacks personal opinion, honesty, and faith in people.
Winston Smith is the protagonist, a middle-aged man who works in the documentation department and compiles facts with dissenting utterances. Despite work in the Ministry of Truth, he deeply hates party ideas, only pretending to adhere to them. Winston appears to be a strong personality, a man of will who has found his individuality and begins to doubt the party. After arrest, he endures torture with fortitude and lets Party eventually break him down and turn him into an obedient member of society. After realizing the situation he dreams of trial and execution, lest he becomes part of what he has fought. At the center of his motivation is his belief in a better world, in individual and social freedom. He swears to O’Brien that he is willing to sacrifice everything to overthrow the party. The reader can see in him that no matter how intense the ideologically wrong idea is, there will always be people who can oppose it.
Julia is an actively anti-dissenting, anti-love young girl who hides her genuine party hatred. She pretends to obey the laws, but in reality, is in permanent violation of them. Julia is a beauty who turns fussy and active around her. She can be typologies as an extrovert with a pronounced attitude and a belief in the power of personality. However, her passion for acquiring authentic goods hints at the frivolity and an inner weakness about solid pressures. Her motivation to act against the party is probably love and the desire to love. Julia’s youth is in bloom, and burdens unencumber her heart, so she is eager to conquer the heights.
O’Brien appears as a gruff man, not without charm, and to those around him, his role is ambiguous. He works for the Thought Police and secretly exposes those fighting against the party. His character is a strong individual who will not transgress the ideals of his party and is fully committed to him. He can be described as a clever and cunning man, capable of villainy without thinking about its rightness. O’Brien is motivated by the party’s ideas: during torture, he explains to Smith that the government controls reality. The party’s philosophy is close to him, so service is his goal, although he understands the horror of its work.
Oceania is one of the states formed due to the anti-capitalist revolution and ignoring the emancipation of the proletariat.
Airstrip One is a province of Oceania whose name mock Britain’s desire to take over the United States.
- Ingsoc – the prevailing ideology of Oceania, which instead of socialism builds a society that defies all its principles.
- Big Brother – the sole leader of the Party, around whom a cult of personality is erected.
- Propaganda – actions of the Party to subjugate its principles and exterminate dissenters
- Ministry of Truth – a government unit whose main job is to falsify data and rewrite history.
- The Thought Police – an organization whose purpose is to find dissenters and exterminate them by the law.
- Thoughtcrime – any careless thought, any wild gesture, or word wrong in terms of the ruling Party’s ideology.