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Repression Of The Id In George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four

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Control and Repression of the Id in George Orwell’s
Nineteen Eighty-Four

George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four is undoubtedly one of the foremost novels of the 20th century, portraying, in connection to the historical context of the time in which it was written, the ways of life in a dystopian, totalitarian society and the continuous struggle that goes on inside the human being, reprimanded even to the point of being dehumanized. Orwell reveals how, in order for such a society to be maintained, the party (representing the interests of Big Brother) uses various methods of suppression and successfully depicts how the unconscious, always under the pressure of being subdued, revolts, consequently leading to its destruction and the loss of humanity:
“Never again will you be capable of ordinary human feeling. Everything will be dead inside you. Never again will you be capable of love, or friendship, or joy of living, or laughter, or curiosity, or courage, or integrity. You will be hollow.” (Orwell)
Thus, in view of the above, the …show more content…

the telescreens), newspeak (the ultra-political language), doublethink, fear and punishment by the Thought Police etc., all of which are a constant presence in everyday life. Likewise, all the Ministries in Oceania are concerned with some form of control or manipulation. For example, The Ministry of Truth where Winston works is concerned with propaganda. In Winston’s department, the Records department, all information ever published is to be readapted again and again, according to what suits the party and its leader at the given moment. Nonetheless, Winston is not only subjected to propaganda and manipulation, but he also takes part in it while admitting that “[statistics] were just as much a fantasy in their original version as in their rectified version”. (Yeo, p.

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