Essay Database

1984 Journal Entry #1 Winston is an insignificant official in the Party, the totalitarian organ that rules all of Airstrip One, the land that used to be called England. In his apartment, the television screen- -which is always on, and through which the Thought Police are known to monitor the actions of citizens--shows a dreary report about pig iron. Winston keeps his back to the screen. From his window, he sees the Ministry of Truth, where he …

…the future. Winston feels extraordinarily oppressed by the Party's control: he cannot think for himself or act for himself, and he must repress his sexual desires almost entirely. Entry #5 Winston writes in his diary that any hope for revolution against the Party must come from the proles. He believes the Party cannot be destroyed from within; even the Brotherhood, a legendary revolutionary group, must lack the wherewithal to defeat the might of the Thought Police.