1984 Theme Timeline by Thomas Laurinaitis

Theme

laurinaitist2024 — 2024-03-13 15:09:50 UTC

People can be forced to give up their beliefs and even alter their feelings if their survival is threatened.

He's Still Watching

laurinaitist2024 — 2024-03-13 15:36:42 UTC

"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" (Orwell 3).

The author tries to prove the point that the government system where life is threatened, people may feel pressured into surrendering their own thoughts, to meet the needs of the Party.

Utopia

laurinaitist2024 — 2024-03-13 16:25:49 UTC

"‘It’s the Golden Country—almost,’ he murmured.

‘The Golden Country?’

‘It’s nothing, really. A landscape I’ve seen sometimes in

a dream'" (Orwell 123).

Orwell reflects the idea that people are forced to forget about their true thoughts in order to stay alive. In this case, Winston talks about the "Golden Country" from his dreams, a place where he can express his hopes and love without being punished. This represents how individuals keep these hopes hidden for fear of getting in trouble.

Freedom of Thoughts

laurinaitist2024 — 2024-03-13 16:35:44 UTC

"Even now, of course, there’s no reason or excuse for committing thoughtcrime. It’s merely a question of self-discipline, reality-control. But in the end there won’t be any need even for that" (Orwell 52).

This quote suggests that the people living in this world has to keep control of their thoughts in order to obey the laws from the Party. After all, the Party plans to take control and eliminate the thought of self-respect and discipline, proving the fact that the government wants full control of the people's mind and actions.

Top Secret

laurinaitist2024 — 2024-03-15 01:13:29 UTC

"For the first time he perceived that if you want to keep a secret you must also hide it from yourself" (Orwell 281).

Orwell is expressing the fact that people in this society are so scared of their government, that to truly keep a secret, they must also keep it from themselves. Overall, the quote represents how much the Party has manipulated the population from individual thoughts and feelings.

Escape

laurinaitist2024 — 2024-03-15 01:37:08 UTC

"Reality exists in the human mind, and nowhere else" (Orwell 249).

People are being forced to give up their own beliefs when their lives are threatened due to the manipulation of the government. This manipulation shows how a person in this society may be persuaded into adapting the thoughts of what the government wants them to believe, instead of their own.

He's Watching

laurinaitist2024 — 2024-03-15 01:38:37 UTC

"Big Brother is Watching You" (Orwell 2).

The author expresses the constant surveillance of the people living in this society, and the fear the government wants to instill in them. This fear leads characters to forget about their real thoughts and emotions to avoid punishment.

Control

laurinaitist2024 — 2024-03-15 01:55:38 UTC

"Nothing was your own except the few cubic centimeters inside your skull" (Orwell 27).

The quote represents that in this dystopian society, people feel that they don't have control over their own beliefs. It highlights how in this harsh governing system a person's innermost thoughts can not be expressed externally.

Jot

laurinaitist2024 — 2024-03-15 01:56:31 UTC

"Whether he went on with the diary, or whether he did not go on with it, made no difference. The Thought Police would get him just the same" (Orwell 19).

Orwell suggests here that people's life may be at risk, and may be abandoning their own beliefs or changing their feelings. Overall, it shows fear of punishment can make people give up on what they believe and what they do.

Surveillance

laurinaitist2024 — 2024-03-15 01:58:48 UTC

"In the far distance a helicopter skimmed down between the roofs, hovered for an instant like a bluebottle, and darted away again with a curving flight. It was the police patrol, snooping into people’s windows" (Orwell 2).

The quote gives another example of constant monitoring and control by the Party. The power of the Party to monitor its citizens forces them to obey to survive, and meaning to sacrifice their owns thoughts.

Spy Kids

laurinaitist2024 — 2024-03-15 01:59:41 UTC

"It was almost normal for people over thirty to be frightened of their own children" (Orwell 25).

This quote that Orwell wrote was for people to control their thoughts and feelings even around their own children, out of fear of their own lives. This fear of their children reflects on the dehumanizing the government does to the citizens.

Relief

laurinaitist2024 — 2024-03-15 02:20:35 UTC

"Winston stopped reading, chiefly in order to appreciate the fact that he was reading, in comfort and safety. He was alone: no telescreen, no ear at the keyhole, no nervous impulse to glance over his shoulder or cover the page with his hand" (Orwell 184).

In this quote Winston is appreciating and the relief from someone constantly watching him, where he can freely do things without fear. Winston's reading in peace supports the theme that when life is threatened, people may do anything in their power to express their emotions to feel normal.

The End is Near

laurinaitist2024 — 2024-03-15 02:37:18 UTC

"‘We are the dead,’ he said.

‘We are the dead,’ echoed Julia dutifully.

‘You are the dead,’ said an iron voice behind them" (Orwell 221).

When Winston says "'We are the dead," it shows how both Julia and him feel as if their reality has been erased. The voice repeating of what they said illustrates the controlling and manipulation of this dystopian government.