Oppression In 1984 George Orwell

In Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner, Amir’s jealousy of Hassan pushes him to commit vengeful and manipulative deeds to someone who has undying admiration and loyalty towards him. Amir’s need to impress his father, in this case, the kite tournament, singles the start of his redemption journey. Hassan, in Amir’s eyes, is someone who he has no emotional connection, strictly a employer-servant relationship. However, the substantial event that sparks a considerable amount of guilt and shame in Amir is the event he witnessed involving Hassan and his lack of initiative afterwards. Everytime he sets out to redeem himself, Hassan becomes collateral damage; Amir’s quest to find redemption takes form in multiple ways throughout the novel.

Many problems in Amir’s life are unwittingly caused by Hassan. For instance, in his childhood, Amir is constantly competing with Hassan for Baba’s attention and love. This leads to his lack of action when he witnesses Hassan’s rape. His regret for not interfering when it happened and hiding his misguided choice infect his mind even in his adult life six years later when he moves to America. With a few exceptions, people simultaneously embody evil and good in their life; Hosseini demonstrates this with Amir, who is convinced that he himself is evil, and spends most of the book struggling to redeem himself so he can finally realize he is not wicked after all.

When Macbeth was thinking about Duncan as a king, he realized: “Besides, this Duncan/ Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been/ So clear in his great office, that his virtues/ Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against/ The deep damnation of his taking-off.” (1.7.16-19) This quote stated his concerns of how he will be treated by people after the murder. He is battling his ambition with his morals. After Macbeth murdered Duncan and drove away the two princes. He felt no happiness or tranquility. He lived the rest of his life in nightmares and fears which denounced his actions.

In the book 1984, the villainous qualities of the Party create the biggest impact on the story by causing hatred, converting minds, and creating a new Winston. The Party’s approach to life has not always been for everyone, including Winston who frequently gets angry at their actions. In the beginning of the book, Winston says he was writing, “as though by automatic action… DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” (1.1.18). His thoughts and actions toward Big Brother and the Party have become so strong that he is involuntarily writing words against them. Winston also resents the rule that there can be no love in Oceania, and leaps at the chance to break it.

At the start of the novel, Winston feels frustrated by the oppressive rule of Big Brother which even prohibits free thought and expression of individuality. Winston works in a place called the Ministry of Truth, where he alters historical records for Big Brother. Throughout the novel, Winston works to avoid surveillance and attempt to join The Brotherhood, a group that works to overthrow the government. Winston breaks many laws and eventually is tricked to commit an open act of rebellion against Big Brother by an Inner Party member. At the end of the novel, Winston is brainwashed into loving Big Brother, and is released back into the outside world with no feelings for anyone but Big Brother.

1984 tells the story of man, Winston Smith, a man living in Oceania, a dystopian society, finding a way to escape the tyranny of Big Brother. John Steinbeck and George Orwell are greatly affected by the state of society in their lifetimes. Both authors use their novels to highlight the themes of control and the affects of change

In Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, Amir struggles to cope with his inaction during Hassan’s rape. Overwhelmed with guilt, Amir devises a plan to get Hassan and Ali dismissed so they would no longer be a constant reminder of all the times Hassan had protected him and his failure to do the same. The guilt of betraying Hassan burdens him for years, and even after he and Baba move to America, he carries the weight of his actions with him. However, after he accepts Rahim Khan’s request to rescue Sohrab and bring him to safety, Amir strives to leave behind the selfishness and cowardice he had previously succumbed to. Amir progressively begins to forgive himself for his injustices towards Hassan as he recognizes his evolution from a coward

In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, the protagonist, learns basic manners and expectations of society and religion. However, his drunkard father, who is rarely ever home, returns home only to abuse Huck. This led to Huck faking his death and running away from his dad and thus running away from society. During this journey, Huck is skeptical with many taught norms of society and decides to believe in superstitions. Lawrence Kohlberg developed a theory about the three stages of moral development, pre-conventional, conventional and post-conventional morality.

He remained headstrong, stubborn and selfish in his actions, even warranting rebuke from the men on certain occasions. This is seen in the very first conflict that is witnessed on the pages of The Iliad. Agamemnon is faced with the request to give up his war prize, and immediately and indignantly decides against all the council of the army in order to keep his prize of a woman (28). With this decision, he sought his own desires selfishly and disconnected himself from the men he was meant to lead. Granted, he possessed a strong will, a thing very necessary for good leadership.

If humanity would be able to exist in a place where everything was perfect, there would be dire sacrifices. A utopia is defined as, “An imaginary island described in Sir Thomas More’s (1516) as enjoying perfection in law, politics, etc.” Compared to a dystopia, “A society characterized by human misery, as squalor, or oppression, disease, and overcrowding.” Utopias evolve into dystopias because no set society is ever totally perfect. There is always someone or a group of people who have set boundaries as compared to others. In George Orwell’s 1984 the inner party would be set as the high end side of the community whereas the outer party and the proles would be the slums. Another reason is that if humanity was able to live in a place with no issues we would lose essential emotions like sadness, anger, and disappointment which are some of the traits that make us human.

The formidable power and influence overawe the last humanity. When people are facing the same difficulty in the society, what will they have great expectations of the society? Outbreaking in silence or die in silence, which one he will choose? He is going to call up all his courage to against the power as a hero for a few seconds, or perhaps he will silent as the grave and endure the miserable life. Winston, he has conquest Big Brother in mentally.