Banned Books and Censorship

Major Essay Assignment Sheet

The Masterpiece that is 1984

The novel 1984 has been a topic of controversy since its release to the public in 1949. Many have questioned and criticized author George Orwell’s ideas in 1984, but others see the true, deeper meaning of it all. On the surface, readers may see a provocative novel with a strong theme of dictatorship and communism throughout. Some believe Orwell’s writing means he is in support of this type of leadership, and are convinced the reading and teaching of this novel influences the minds of those who pick it up. The other, more agreeable argument, believes that Orwell was trying to warn those of what a totalitarian, communist government could look like so people are more aware of what could happen. The dictator in 1984 is portrayed as Big Brother, an ominous and anonymous ruler who influences and spies on all the citizens in Oceania. This type of government is not at all impossible to imagine, as many of the ideas discussed in the novel are comparable to our life today. The novel 1984 has and always will be relevant in the political growth and moral viewpoints of the world today. 

One of the most prominent themes seen throughout the novel 1984 is the totalitarianism seen in the governing of Oceania. Described in depth is the control of Big Brother over the citizens and their thoughts, withholding information and feeding them with information that isn’t true. The citizens are unable to read certain books and are taught that normal activities are harmful and could possibly injure them, such as kissing someone which according to Big Brother is punishable by death. To go even further in depth, Orwell describes what happens to the ones who disobey the strict set of laws set in place, creating a dark theme where punishment is severe. The reason Orwell was able to write about a situation where a government is not at all true to its people is because he experienced it for himself. In the novel 1984:Orwell and Our Future, by Martha Nussbaum , Orwell describes how he served in the Spanish War. He recalls walking through a neighborhood and glancing down to see a newspaper, stating everything was going well in the country, even though it was torn apart by war. Orwell was exposed to the manipulation that was being done by the Spanish government and because of that, he “was obsessed with truth telling and lying, but it was the rise of a new kind of ideologically inspired lying that provided him with the context for his crusade on behalf of objectivity. It was his sense of the power of propaganda to define, to formulate, to create reality that horrified him…” (Nussbaum 74). What Orwell was writing in the novel 1984 was a direct reflection of what he was experiencing during the war. Evidently so, Nassbuam states “Orwell’s preoccupation with ideologically inspired lying (and its political and human consequences, as he saw them) would ultimately result in the creation of “doublethink” in Nineteen Eighty-Four” (75). Doublethink , or doublespeak in 1984 is the manipulating of or distorting the meaning of a word or phrase, resulting in the inability to decipher what is actually trying to be said. Newspeak was also created in Oceania to censor and control the language and words citizens could and could not say, giving them the ability to alter and change citizens’ minds. Orwell created and wrote 1984 in hopes of warning and illustrating the complete control a government could have if they were ever to gain that type of control. Orwell, who once criticized American politics, began to appreciate it after serving time in the Spanish War and hoped others would feel the same once reading his novel. 

The storyline of 1984 also touches on questions of what is morally right or wrong. The protagonist, Winston Smith, does not have the same beliefs or ideologies as everyone else in his town, and is seen deliberately betraying “the party”. Even though this could result in death, Winston chose to disagree with the government anyway, as their ideals and standards are insane.  In the article “Nature and Human Liberty”, by Piers Stephens, provides context for what Winston is experiencing by stating, “1984, written in the early cold war, can be seen as exploring the dehumanizing impacts of different sides of the strong instrumentalism found within modernity and the manipulativeness with which it is easily associated on neo-Weberian [members of the same social class share the same life chances] grounds”. Winston is right to disobey and question the authority of Big Brother and the laws they set in place because they are unrealistic and morally abusive. Many governments, even today, govern their people this way and eventually, those people begin to revolt. Winston also recalls what life was once like before Big Brother, making this realization more likely to happen. The novel 1984 focuses on  “Orwell’s dystopia… on exploring power politics under totalitarianism … it dramatizes distinctively modern regimes of control” (Stephens) that are still seen and used today, which is what Orwell was trying to warn his audience about when he wrote 1984. 

Both the theme of politics and moral standards discussed in the novel are still being used and questioned in the world today, including America. The Fourth amendment in the constitution states that people should feel secure in their surroundings, and that unjust surveillance was unlawful. Since its creation, this amendment has been altered and changed to adapt to the “new” ways of life where technology is booming. According to the article “Orwell’s 1984 And a Fourth Amendment Cyber-surveillance Non-intrusion Test”, written by Margaret Hu, recalls how the government is using this type of surveillance and states “The federal judiciary, with increasing frequency, marks unconstitutional transgressions resulting from modern surveillance techniques by resorting to dystopian 1984-related tropes”(Hu). The dystopian 1984  tropes she is referring to is Big Brother, and how they are able to watch and see what every citizen is doing through TV screens and cameras. Anytime there was  technology with potential for a lens to be placed inside, there would be. This sparked many discussions about why  the novel itself was so controversial, misinterpreted Orwell was trying to encourage this type of government. According to the article “The Disappearance of 1984”, by Didier Maleuvre, discusses some of the reasons behind why 1984 has been or was banned from many different areas. Maleuvre quotes Irving Howe, an American literary and social critique, saying “Openly in England, more cautiously in America, there has arisen a desire among intellectuals to belittle Orwell’s achievement […]. Nor can it be denied that all of us would feel more comfortable if the book could be cast out” (Maleuvre). Malevure goes on to say “1984 is a headache of a book. Written by a man of notoriously socialist sympathies, it yet insists that the gravest danger to democracy is not capitalist moguls in top hat but statist technocrats; not unprincipled men whose goal in life is profit, but puritanically principled ones who aim to install a utopian order”. This statement shows how many people tend to view 1984 as a book that does nothing but promote this type of government, where it’s quite obvious it’s trying to do the exact opposite. As the quote above states, Orwell knew that society’s greatest  danger was not those who seek money or fame, but those who tend to put a totalitarian government in place.

Ultimately, The novel 1984 has been a topic of controversy since its release to the public, but that has not diminished its cultural and political impact.  Many have questioned and criticized author George Orwell’s ideas in 1984, but many have been able to see for themselves the deeper understanding necessary to encapture this novel and all that it warns about. On the surface, readers may see a provocative novel with a strong theme of dictatorship and communism throughout, but now understand without those images and ideologies set in place, the reader wouldn’t be able to grasp this sort of idea. The novel 1984 has and always will be relevant in the political growth and moral viewpoints of the world today, as the  world is always changing. And with more change, especially in technology, there is an increasing threat of the novel 1984 turning from fiction to reality.

Works Cited

Gleason, Abbott, et al. On “”Nineteen Eighty-Four”” Orwell and Our Future. Princeton University Press, 2010. 

Stephens, Piers. “NATURE AND HUMAN LIBERTY – JSTOR.” Proquest, Mar. 2004.

Hu, Margaret. “Orwell’s 1984 and a Fourth Amendment Cybersurveillance Nonintrusion Test.”, 23 Jan. 2018.

Maleuvre, Didier. “The Disappearance of 1984.” Proquest, 2019.