A Device Called Fear

The themes in 1984 will always be valuable to humans as they pertain to different aspects of human nature. In this book, Orwell explores lust, fear, power, language (in the public sphere!), history and other themes that are relevant in today’s society. Throughout the novel, I was hoping that the Brotherhood or another source of resistance would arise, and that Big Brother would be destroyed; however this never came to fruition. The masses never revolt or inquire as to why most of what Big Brother said didn’t make sense, and the main reason for their acceptance of the lies they were told is their fear of punishment. Fear makes humans do irrational things, and limits our ability to reason and to fulfill our potential. In 1984, George Orwell tries to tell the reader that in life fear is an emotion that dominates all others, and is a tool of manipulation and power.

The reason for Big Brother’s total control is the use of fear to manipulate. In a society where everyone does not want to be punished for insolence, the rulers can enjoy sovereignty while brutally suppressing any opposition. The public executions and displays of Hate are a clever way to remind the citizens of their possible fate if they do not submit to Big Brother. Winston believes that there are many like him who sometimes question the Party, but their emotions of confusion and worry are clouded with the emotion of fear thus keeping them silent. Winston’s early belief in O’Brien and the Brotherhood attests to his understanding of a probable form of resistance. Earlier in the novel, Winston thinks of O’Brien as “the commander of a vast shadowy army, an underground network of conspirators dedicated to the overthrow of the state”(14). He hangs on to this hope because he wants to have a sense of his identity, but in his day to day he goes about his work quietly for fear of not drawing unwanted attention.

Fear and power go hand in hand. The great Italian philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli once said, “It is far safer to be feared than to be loved.” The party realized that suppressing all other emotions and replacing them with fear would foster obedience. After Winston is captured and is going through his punishment and eventual transformation, O’Brien tells Winston,

“"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. We shall squeeze you empty and then we shall fill you with ourselves" (265).

 Winston is only able to become what the party wants him to be after he enters Room 101 and cannot face his fear, and thus denies his identity, giving the party the authority to mold him into whatever they see fit.

Everyone has fears, and they affect our interactions to varying degrees. In the case of Winston, he is never able to overcome his greatest fear and in the last line of the novel while at the Ministry of Love, he submits to the will of Big Brother. “But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother” (308). He denies himself and his love for Julia in Room 101 because of his human desire to not want to suffer through pain and fear. The ability of fear to completely change the thought process of someone is frightening. I’m sure everyone has his or her “Room 101”, yet at what point is facing that fear better than becoming a mindless pawn? The truth is there is no universal answer, but Orwell shows that we are all slaves to our fears.

Fear is an intrinsic characteristic in American society. We listen to those in positions of authority; teachers, parents, police, government, for fear of not being punished. We choose to drive instead of fly for fear of heights. From a young age we are taught to fear and respect those in power, whether in actuality they deserve it or not. Winston knew that there was something wrong with the Party, however his fear of being vaporized would not allow him to openly defy the Party even though in his diary he writes “Down with Big Brother” (19).

 Orwell is reminding us that human nature is inherently weak and flawed. To prove his point, he describes a society in which there is no courage or initiative from the masses. He shows us that it is in our nature to desire contentment over all other things. Despite what people say, their self interest and their comfort almost always comes first. It is what has plagued civilizations for centuries, until someone made a sacrifice that promotes change. Think of the billions of people that inhabited the world during the times of slavery and other atrocities. They were okay with the status quo because they did not want to inconvenience themselves for the benefit of others. Those who did make that effort and suffer extreme pain and hardships are the ones that history remembers. Dictators and all other great rulers all employed fear in order to achieve greatness. Orwell alludes to the fact that as long as a person or persons can instill fear, they will have power, and once fear is in control there is little room for any other emotions.