THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE THEMES IN 1984 The world of 1984 that is depicted by George Orwell is one that is a bleak, depressing world. The government in this future is a totalitarian one, where anything that does not conform to the ruling party’s ideals, even thought is punishable by death. 1984 is about life in a world where no personal freedoms exist. Winston the main character is a man of 39 whom is not extraordinary in either intelligence or character, but is disgusted with the world he lives in. It is this world and the significance of its themes that are discussed in this paper. One of the major themes in 1984 is rebellion by Winston. The main character, Winston Smith, first exhibits his inner will to rebel when he decides to commit his first thought crime. Winston's first act of rebellion is buying and writing in a diary. This act is known as a thought crime and is punishable by death. A thought crime is any bad thought against the government of Oceania. “Winston commits many thought crimes and becomes paranoid about being caught, which he knows is inevitable.” (Greenblast 113). Another theme in 1984 is love. Winston sees this girl who always seems to be following him. The girl who was following him slipped him a note while at work. The note said, "I love you"(Orwell 90). They make plans to meet each other and carry on an illegal love affair. It goes on for some time. The girls’ name that was following him was named Julia. When Winston is with Julia he feels very happy and feels that perhaps the world can be changed. A third theme is the message of “War is peace” (Orwell, 17) In 1984 Orwell states that the party’s position on war is that war is important for consuming the products of human labor. If this work would be used to increase the standard of living, the control of the party over the people would decrease. War is the economical basis for a hierarchical society. There is an emotion...
