In the world described by George Orwell the society is controlled by an entity called Big Brother that everywhere speaks with his slogans: “WAR IS PEACE”, “FREEDOM IS SLAVERY”, “IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH”.

In chapter 3 the characters are Winston Smith with his mother, his father, his sister and a girl with dark hair; while in chapter 4 the characters are Winston, his colleague Tillotson, a member of inner party and a fantastic character that is called Ogilvy. In every chapter of this book the characters are often strange and different from the others.

In the age of 1984 the world is divided in three enormous continents called Oceania, Eurasia and Estasia. In Eurasia’s capital, London, is set the story.

In chapter 3 the story is set in Winston’s dream and in Winston’s home, in front of the television; while in chapter 4 the story is set in Winston’s office.

In these two chapters is described the folly and the submission that the people must stand by Big Brother and is described the impossibility to change present using past.

In chapter 3 Winston was dreaming of his mother that is sitting with his sister in her arms in a strange place. They are moving downwards probably on a ship’s hall and Winston was conscious that they must die for saving his life. During this dream, after his father’s vision, suddenly he was in a lawn and a girl with dark hair, with a single movement, take off her clothes. It was an act able to change a thinking system, able to eliminate the Big Brother, the Party and the Thought Police. I think she is a special person in the novel. She has an important role and she is the symbol of freedom. Maybe she dares do the things that other people are afraid of doing. She has the rebel mind and she is a brave girl. Maybe she has something same with Julia.

After this dream, Winston woke up and went in front of the television for his physical exercises. While he was mechanically moving his arms, he returned with mind in his childhood’s period of his life.

Chapter 4 starts with Winston that was changing some parts of the Times paper. In fact in the society of 1984 the Party was eliminating each form of past; with this solution the Party ,in all situations, could obtain the total control of truth. In this way it could demonstrate that each prevision of theParty was true. In the end of this chapter Winston was changing the most difficult part of The Times and thinking of a fantastic character to insert in his work that is called Ogilvy.

I think that George Orwell in these two chapters use some political arguments to describe the strange situation that “was killing” the society in this world. The author condemns Big Brother and the Party because they want to eliminate the past for having the total control of truth. In this world there isn’t a written law and nothing is denied except thinking, love, enjoying and living  if it not done according to uses and rules of Big Brother. The society is very dark, the leader is a dictator and he is cruel. People are very cold, they cannot do everything that they want, their actions are watched by the telescreen, they are dangerous at all times.

Focus on the role of the Party

The Party of Oceania is made up of about 19% of the whole population of Oceania mainland. Generally, one could divide the Party into the Inner Party, which is comparable to the communist nomenclature, and the Outer Party. Winston Smith himself is a member of the Outer Party. The members of the Inner Party hold high posts in the administration of the country. They earn comparably much money, and there isn't a lack of anything in their homes, which look like palaces. The people of the Outer Party live in dull grey and old flats. Because of the war there is often a lack of the most essential things. The life of the Outer Party is dictated by the Party, even their spare time is used by the Party. There are so-called community hikes, community games and all sorts of other activities. And refusing participation in this activities is even dangerous. The life of a Party member is dictated from his birth to his death. The Party even takes children away from their parents to educate them in the ideology of Ingsoc. (One can find this also in the communist future plans.) The children are taught in school to report it to the Thought Police when their parents have unorthodox thoughts, so-called "thoughtcrimes". After their education, Party members start to work mainly for one of the four Ministries (Minipax, Minitrue, Miniluv, Miniplenty). The further life of a "comrade" continues under the watchful eyes of the Party. Everything people do is recorded by the telescreens. Even in their homes people have telescreens. Each unorthodox action is then punished by "joycamps" (Newspeak word for forced labour camps").

was also thinking of Nazi leader Adolph Hitler and Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. Big Brother

Focus on the role of  Big Brother

Big Brother is not a real person. All-present as he is, all-powerful and forever watching, he is only

seen on TV. Although his picture glares out from huge posters that shout, BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, nobody sees Big Brother in person. Orwell had several things in mind when he created Big Brother. He was certainly thinking of Russian leader Joseph Stalin; the pictures of Big Brother even look like him. He was also thinking of Nazi leader Adolph Hitler and Spanish dictator

Francisco Franco. Big Brother stands for dictators everywhere.

Orwell may have been thinking about figures in certain religious faiths when he drew Big Brother. The mysterious, powerful, God-like figure who sees and knows everything - but never appears in person. To Inner Party members, Big Brother is a leader, a bogeyman they can use to scare the people, and their authorisation for doing whatever they want. If anybody asks, they can say they are under orders from Big Brother. For the unthinking proles, Big Brother is a distant authority figure. For Winston, Big Brother is an inspiration. Big Brother excites and energises Winston, who hates him. He is also fascinated by Big Brother and drawn to him in some of the same ways that he is drawn to O'Brien, developing a love-hate response to both of them that leads to his downfall.

Relevant quotations

“He was out in the light and air while they were being sucked down to death, and they were down there because he was up here”. (from chapter 3)

“And presently some master brain in the Inner Party would select this version or that, would re-edit it and set in motion the complex processes of cross-referencing that would be required, and then the chosen lie would pass into the permanent records and become truth”. (from chapter 4)

References

References:                                                             

www.k-1.com/Orwell/index.cgi/works/summaries/1984.html 

www.online-literature.com/Orwell/1984/28/

by  Edoardo, Zhang Ran & Dong Xiaonan ( 张然 董晓楠)