Jeopardizing Decision Making In 1984

Jeopardizing Decisions: A Brief Analysis of 1984

The novel Nineteen Eighty-Four has received tremendous acclaim for its thought-provoking depiction of a society with a totalitarian government known as the Party, which suppresses individuals’ freedoms, autonomy, and means of expression. The novel’s protagonist Winston Smith works for the government in the Ministry of Truth, where his job is to rewrite historical records to fit the Party's current political agenda. This does not sit well with Winston, and throughout the first two sections of the novel, he takes measures to dissent from the Party, engaging in forms of self-expression, freedom, and rebellion. Ultimately there are two forms of risk-taking found within the novel, risks Winston

A member of the inner Party, O’brian complimented Winston on his use of Newspeak, the language of the Party, during a hallway conversation at the Ministry of Love. At which, O’Brien also gave Winston his address, something profoundly unusual in this society, telling Winston he could get the latest and unreleased version of the newspeak dictionary from his home. Newspeak is the language of the Party, containing limited grammar and vocabulary designed deliberately to restrict free thinking. Winston takes their conversation to mean that O’Brien gave him the address with the intent of more than just acquiring the dictionary. “One thing was certain. The conspiracy that he had dreamed of did exist, and he had reached the outer edges of it” (Orwell

He finds Julia attractive, although he hates her because he is suspicious that she is, like Katharine, a strong and trusting supporter of the Party. Later in the novel, Winston is hunting for truth, ventures to the prole’s (working class) quarters, and questions a random elderly prole about life before Big Brother. Unsatisfied with the prole’s answers, he continues his wanderings, entering a junk shop where he meets another older man named Mr. Charrington. Mr. Charrington sells Winston a glass paperweight and shows him a room upstairs that appears to be private. Winston considers renting the room for it has “a sort of ancestral memory,” but fear prevents him. While walking home from the shop, he recognizes Julia, assumes she is some sort of spy and considers smashing “her skill in with a cobblestone,” but relents. Winston’s subsequent encounter with Julia occurs at work, where she trips and falls - Winston’s humanity causes him to come to her aid. As he helped her up, she slipped a piece of paper into his hand that read I love you. Their relationship accelerated quickly, and they met again in the country to engage intimately with each other. The novel depicts their lovemaking: “Their embrace had been a battle, the climax a victory.