Fear, Hunger, and Privacy in 1984

As humans, we can distinguish good from bad, bad from good, and also feel pity for the ones that have fallen. Humans have the ability to think and have emotional feelings and that is what makes a human being human. This though, is sadly taken away by the dystopian governing body in the novel, 1984, by George Orwell. The governing body uses fear, starves their citizens, and takes away one’s privacy in an attempt to strip the citizens of Oceania of all human traits.

The author, George Orwell, uses this book as an attempt to warn people that totalitarian societies will dehumanization their own citizens through practices done by the government of Oceania to achieve infinite power over their citizens.

Fear is in constant play in the society of Oceania through constant monitoring by telescreens, and having to watch their own backs for Thought Polices even when one sleeps. The constant monitoring of one’s actions are done through telescreen that are installed everywhere.

There is almost no way of escaping the telescreens and, “You had to live-did live, from habit that became instinct—in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized” (5).

The fear of being constantly under watch by the government limits one’s ability to express their own opinions or feelings, which in turn, creates fear among the citizen. This takes away one of the most important characteristics of being human, the ability to think for themselves. Another way that the party introduces fear into everyday life is by tapping into everyday activities that one does in their free time, and in Winston’s case it so happens to be to write in a diary.

Get quality help now

Bella Hamilton

Verified

Proficient in: Behavior

5 (234)

“ Very organized ,I enjoyed and Loved every bit of our professional interaction ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

Even thinking about writing in the diary of writing in the diary causes fear in Winson because, “…if detected it was reasonably certain that [he] would be punished by death, or at least by twentyfive years in a forced-labour camp” (9). Fear causes dehumanization by the way that it takes away the ability for human to act on their own instincts, a human characteristic that everyone is born with.

One’s environment changes the way that one thinks and acts, but hunger changes one’s character the most. Without food, it forces people to go to extreme lengths to fight for their own survival and the ones that once matter to them, no longer do. For example, [after Winston] devoured [a] chocolate he [stole from his sister] and hung about in the streets for several hours, …hunger [eventually] drove him home. When he came back his mother had disappeared.” (206). This is an example of how hunger can strip one from any emotional feelings because they no longer feel an emotional attachment to even their own sister, and places his own survival as a priority over his own family.

Only after does Winston realize what he has lost with his mom and sister gone. Another example of how hunger can lead to dehumanization is when, “…all [Winston could] remembered [was] his continuous hunger, and the fierce sordid battles at mealtimes. He would ask his mother naggingly, over and over again, why there was not more food, he would shout and storm at her or he would attempt a snivelling note of pathos in his efforts to get more than his share…” (204). This shows that one is willing to go to extreme lengths and even put people that one trust on the back seat just for the benefit of their own. Because of one’s environment, one will have to change to adapt, and in the case of Winston, the lack of food causes him to be dehumanized, ending emotional ties to the ones that matter the most to him.

Privacy is still a hot topic today, and the lack of privacy is an environment change that Big Brother implemented in an attempt to dehumanize the citizens of Oceania. The lack of privacy prevents one from even having some of the most basic human instincts, like smiling or having sex. The telescreen constantly watches over all of the citizens of Oceania, whether they are “Asleep or awake, working or eating, indoors or out of doors, in the bath or in bed—no escape” (34).

The lack of this privacy takes away the human trait of being able to smile because one could be executed for a Thought Crime for just smiling. Also the lack of privacy caused by the constant monitoring of the telescreens by party officials leads to one not being able to enjoy express natural human instincts, like sex, because they are afraid that they would be executed for commiting a sexcrime. For example, when Winston was about to have sex with Julia in the Golden Country, Julia told Winston, “Not here… ‘Come back to the hideout. It’s safer.”” (157) which meant that the invasion of their privacy led to them not being able to express basic human instincts like having sex without being paranoid of being caught for a sexcrime. The invasion of privacy by Big Brother leads to the dehumanization of citizens in Oceania because it prevents one from expressing basic human instincts.

Humans are a complex organism, with emotion and feelings, and are also able to think for themselves. This though, could be changed through the invasion of one’s privacy, invoking fear into them, and also by starving them. Although one could try to resist these different methods of dehumanizing a person, even to a very resistive person, eventually those three factors will play a role in changing one’s ability to be human. And to not be human is to not be able to think for themselves and have emotion or emotional connection to anyone.