Rebellions Never Prosper - 1984

Rebellions Never Prosper

“Insanity is the only reaction to an insane society,” once said Thomas Szaz.   With nowhere else to turn in a society full of absurdity, a citizen such as Winston Smith will subconsciously turn towards insanity in an attempt for freedom.   The novel 1984 by George Orwell depicts a negative utopia in the country of Oceania where a ruling party controls all aspects of life.   In every direction, Smith, the protagonist, sees posters hanging of Big Brother, the almighty leader of the Party, as well as telescreens monitoring his every move.   The Party, or INGOSC, controls the language of the people, mandating the use of the invented Newspeak.   They also control the history of their nation, altering current and past events in order for its citizens to be ignorant of their captivity.   To prevent crimes, the Party convicts citizens if they think about rebellious actions, known as thoughtcrime.   The harsh standards of INGSOC deeply affect the mental state of Winston Smith through oppression and constant frustration, causing him to respond in a manner that will inevitably lead to the cleansing of his character.  
From the start of the novel, Winston Smith expresses an intensely mundane mentality towards life as he is affected by the strict regulations of the Party.   Winston’s thoughts and actions are completely supervised by his superiors, destroying his morale.   After writing in the diary he was not allowed to own, Winston knew it was useless “whether he wrote DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER, or whether he refrained from writing it, [it] made no difference,” because in the end, Winston would be caught by the Thought Police and killed.   (Orwell 19).   With such strict confinement, Winston can no longer keep his rebellious thoughts in his head, but feels the need to write them down, an act that only leads towards a dark ending. The Party’s rules make an enormously negative impact on Winston’s life that he knowingly commits an act that could get him killed and...