1984 Betrayal Essay

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Betrayal is the act of using treachery or disloyalty to expose an enemy. In 1984, by George Orwell, the nature of betrayal was often portrayed in the society of Oceania through government manipulation and through the acts of the characters, like Julia, who betrayed Winston. To the novel as a whole, betrayal contributed to the overall helplessness of the characters and possibility of what can happen to future society. In 1984, betrayal demonstrated how no amount of love or loyalty to someone or something could overcome Big Brothers government. In 1984, Julia and Winston not only demonstrated how they betrayed each other but also how they betrayed their own values. Not only does Julia betray the Party by having sex with Winston, but she also…show more content…
Neither Winston nor Julia loved each other enough to stay loyal in Room 101. In Oceania, the thought police were there to monitor the thoughts of people so betrayal to Big Brother wouldn’t be able to be thought of. “It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen. The smallest thing could give you away. A nervous tic, an unconscious look of anxiety, a habit of muttering to yourself- anything that carried with it the suggestion of abnormality, of having something to hide” (Orwell 65). Government manipulation in Ocean caused one to betray others, like Winston and Julia, and other family members like Parsons and his daughter. This made it clear to see that trust was not an option in Oceania and that everyone in society had to betray their own values, for Big Brother was the only option. Betrayal is a dominant theme in this society whether it is betraying Big Brother or the forced betrayal of someone or something that you love and believe in. Even though Julia and Winston knew their relationship would never last, they did not expect to betray each other in the will of Big Brother but rather through their own decisions. The nature of betrayal in 1984 was George Orwell’s key to portray that not even love or trust could overcome Big Brother and how that could possibly be the future of society
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