The Theme of Individuality
It is understood that dystopian societies are often influenced by chilling concepts such as: ‘… power is collective. The individual only has power in so far as he ceases to be an individual,’ as stated by O’Brien. It is commonplace for such societies to have an oligarchy present, that aims to colonise the thoughts of citizens and ultimately influence every aspect of their lives (from their behaviours to their relationships). Through the act of colonising the thoughts of citizens, individuals who are deemed enemies of the state (as a result of their ‘separateness’ from the rest of society) are reprogramed/re-educated until they have become living, breathing automatons designed to fulfill the needs of the State. Through
Nineteen Eighty-Four Orwell emphasises how easily the concept of self can be manipulated and even abolished. This text is a polemic against tyrannous governments who abuse their power (through means of extensive psychological conditioning and physical abuse) to eliminate individual liberties.
As stated above, political oligarchy generally aims to enforce the uniformity of a population. This removes the ability for individuals to distinguish themselves from others. As a result, Party doctrines are viewed as being morally correct – meaning that individuals no longer have the capacity to contest authority. The imposition of mass uniformity brings with it a bonus side-effect; this being that individuals are not conscious of the oppressed state in which they live, and thus feel that there is no need to revolt. Oppression is realised when inequality can be observed. Henceforth, the removal of individualism, of any sense, prevents citizens from having grounds to identify their own struggles and challenge the government – the Party successfully avoids the social unrest that could encourage rebellion.
The State ensures that both Inner and Outer Party members don’t question supremacy by fusing their thoughts and mindset with the State’s. This is achieved through the use of propaganda (which is observed to be dispersed through events such as Two Minutes Hate and organisations such as the Spies). Party members, once properly indoctrinated, are no longer capable of challenging the validity of any of the ministries claims. In fact, the level of ignorance that has been conditioned into Party members emphasises the realness of INGSOC’s paradoxical slogans. The State gains strength when its citizens have become too ignorant to discriminate between war and peace, or freedom and slavery. This ignorance is solely a result of the conflation of the individual’s and Party’s thoughts.
Orwell highlights how uniformity is preserved and individualism destroyed by dehumanising citizens. Rebellious individuals (those who have not assimilated entirely) are labelled as being ‘sick’, and governing bodies assure them that they will find true happiness after being ‘cured’ by the ‘perfect’ Party. In this way, individuality is depicted as being abhorrent and self-destructive; thus, forcing individuals to direct all loyalty towards the Party, as the Party will show them the way. Rebellious individuals also include those who express emotions other than hatred towards enemies of the State and love for Big Brother – therefore, in order to repress individualism, unapproved emotions must also be abolished. By removing most natural emotions, the government also removes the ability for one individual to conceive a sense of reality that differs from the Party’s.
In Oceania, emotional regulation (just like many other forms of oppression) is accomplished through the restriction of language. Language is one of the primary vectors through which people can communicate their sense of reality to others. Thus, the destruction of language was a pivotal step for the Party to make in order to maintain control. Its destruction enables the Party to ‘squeeze [citizens] empty, and then fill [them] with [Party ideologies].’ This ensures that individuals relinquish any knowledge that could encourage them to argue their own personal beliefs against the Party’s. Further, concepts such as doublethink (employed to distort and reappropriate an individual’s understanding of society on the basis of context), perplex individuals and remove possible ‘anchor points’ that they may use as the foundation for their assertions against the government. The Party controls the past, present, and future – meaning these ‘anchor points’ are subject to constant change and become unreliable.
In totalitarian states, which characteristically authorise that individuals should follow strictly regulated daily schedules, the notion of a personal life (referred to as ‘ownlife’ within the novel – meaning individualism and eccentricity) is eradicated. Combine the amalgamation of the individual and group with the constant surveillance facilitated via telescreens and the Thought Police, citizens may be inclined to feel as though they are being scrutinised. Further, these factors deplete citizens of any remaining energy that they have (that is, if any energy remains after how overworked they are), as to ensure that it cannot be used to start a rebellion.
It is clear that
Nineteen Eighty-Four is a condemnation against authoritarian impositions brought forth by tyrannous governments and emphasises the value of free of thought and speech. Within the novel, Julia’s and Winston’s triumphs arise from minute moments during which they regulate their own consciousness, experience a genuine human connection, and feel as though they have a sliver of personal freedom…. All of which are moments of individuality that set them apart from the rest of society. However, it is important to note how tiny these moments truly are. Individualism is a political act. Having any sort of autonomy is a political act. Not only does the Party suppress subversion through the abuse of technology and physical/psychological torture, but also by eliminating individualism.