Attempted Destruction In George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four

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Characteristics of Humanity and their Attempted Destruction in 1984 Society Human beings are unique creatures with the ability to love, understand, form opinions, and create complex social structures. In the Novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, the author tests the limit of humanity. Based in a society that aims to eradicate the humanity of its citizens, the government that is referred to as ‘the Party’ attempts to abolish the characteristics that make control over citizens difficult such as a complex social structure. The Party manipulates and takes advantage of characteristics that make controlling the population easier such as self-preservation. One of the main traits that makes humans so successful and has allowed them to thrive throughout history is the ability to create and maintain a complex social…show more content…
“’We control matter because we control the mind. Reality is inside the skull. You will learn by degrees, Winston. There is nothing that we could not do. … I could float off this floor like a soap bubble if I wished to. I do not wish to, because the Party does not wish it.’” (Orwell 277) The human mind is so complex and fragile that if tortured to the point of immense pain, the brain will be willing to believe and react as they are expected to relieve the source of discomfort from the body as a coping mechanism. “’Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past,” repeated Winston obediently. … Until this moment you had never considered what is meant by existence. I will put it more precisely. Does the past exist concretely, in space? Is there somewhere or another place, a world of solid objects where the past is still happening?” (Orwell
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