AP Essay #2

AP Essay #2

2005, Form B. One of the strongest human drives seems to be a desire for power. Write an essay in which you discuss how a character in a novel or a drama struggles to free himself or herself from the power of others or seeks to gain power over others. Be sure to demonstrate in your essay how the author uses this power struggle to enhance the meaning of the work


          George Orwell’s satirical and dystopian novel, 1984, presents the dangers of a totalitarian regime, and the threat it poses to humanity itself, as well as individuality. Winston Smith, the protagonist and tragic hero of the novel, struggles against the overwhelming oppression coerced upon him by the Party and Big Brother. Winston incessantly seeks out refuge in order to avoid being eradicated from society, due to his rebellious nature and intent to overthrow the cruel, potent establishment. Winston Smith repeatedly struggles to liberate himself from the overarching power of Oceania’s government and falls short of retaining his own sanity while doing so, thus illustrating the futility of actions in a tyrannical, totalitarian society.
          Oceania’s manipulative nature impedes all thoughts of rebellion as it exerts its seemingly limitless power over countless individuals, including Winston Smith, who becomes the main focus of the novel. The walls of buildings are adorned with a plethora of signs, billboards,posters and images of Big Brother, the Party leader who may or may not exist. As Winston progresses through his life, he finds that "BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING [HIM]" and is prepared to take any measure to obtain his unconditional submission and surrender to the Party (Orwell 4). The careful surveillance of society by the Party, combined with the efficient Thought Police, purges any thought of rebellion from the minds of the commoners. The rebels are coerced into denouncing their own beliefs as their spirits are crushed by the ever-expanding sphere of influence of the Party. Once the Party has been mocked by Winston’s repeated acts of betrayal, it continues to "squeeze [him] empty" only to "fill [him] with [themselves]" (Orwell 293). Through repetitive rounds of torture, multiplied by the isolation Winston endures while in the Ministry of Love, the Party is able to convey its stranglehold on all aspects of its society. Even the scientists are beginning to conduct research on how to monitor the thoughts of the general public, heightening a sense of vainness for any acts of a revolution. Towards the end of his rehabilitation, Winston is told by O’Brien that his existence "is of no importance" because he simply "does not exist" (Orwell 296-297). The Party is perfectly prepared to handle such minor nuisances, such as Winston, by converting them over to their ideology, language and culture. Through Winston’s unbearable torture, the Party’s overwhelming dominance of all elements of society is displayed. While Winston Smith comes to ascertain the full extent of the Party’s power, he merely fails to retain his own sanity and beliefs in doing so.
          Winston begins his journey as a diligent worker in the Ministry of Truth, inwardly and secretly vowing to use the remainder of his life to rid society of the totalitarian world in which he currently resides. As he begins his romantic involvement with Julia, Winston is able to come to terms with himself, understanding his own distaste for the Party and Big Brother. Winston even agrees to "commit suicide, if and when [the Brotherhood] orders him to do so" and almost approves O’Brien’s request of "never seeing [Julia] again" (Orwell 200). Winston has stuck with his moral convictions, recognizing that through all of the relentless torture that he has not betrayed his beloved Julia. Once he is cast into Room 101, the Party breaks down the remaining spirit of Winston through his worst fear—rats. At this particular instance in the novel, Winston completely surrenders himself to the Party by shouting "Not me! Julia! I don’t care what you do to her" (Orwell 329). As Winston is reintegrated back into Oceania’s society, his overall loyalty to the Party portrays his inability to keep his own sanity or beliefs. The Party’s connections to every sheer thought of an individual demonstrates the immense power that it can use to cause all of society to inevitably acquiesce with a higher power. Winston throws himself at the mercy of the Party, and is able to live out the remainder of his days as a pawn of the establishment. Winston’s widespread satisfaction with Big Brother at the end of the novel illustrates the futility of actions when dealing with a totalitarian system of government.
          Though Winston’s encounter with the Party displays the power of individuality, it is no match for the infinite authority of Oceania’s government. Once the Party has rehabilitated Winston, it permits him to come back into society as a loyal patron of the Party and to live out the remainder of his life unfulfilled. Winston awaits the "long-hoped-for bullet" that would enter his brain, thus depicting his love Big Brother for tolerating his existence (Orwell 342). Though he thinks he has "won the victory over himself," he has lost all perspective on the principles of freedom he once held so close to him (Orwell 342). In the end, resistance is meaningless. The Party will forever apply its power on everyone within its society. After all, "WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS PEACE" (Orwell 6). The influence of Big Brother will cease to exist as the Party endlessly converts enemies into friends—outsiders into members—free-thinkers into conformists.