Help, I’m Alive: 1984’s First Third

1. Help, I’m Alive: 1984’s First Third Feraco Search for Human Potential 8 February 2011

2. Prufrock and Orwell • Do I dare / Disturb the universe? • Why was it that they could never shout like that about anything that mattered? (70) • And even when they became discontented, as they sometimes did, their discontent led nowhere, because, being without specific ideas, they could only focus on petty specific grievances. The larger evils invariably escaped their notice (71-72).

3. What Was Lost • The thing that now suddenly struck Winston was that his mother’s death, nearly thirty years ago, had been tragic and sorrowful in a way that was no longer possible. Tragedy, he perceived, belonged to the ancient time, to a time when there were still privacy, love, and friendship, and when the members of a family stood by one another without needing to know the reason…Today there were fear, hatred, and pain, but no dignity of emotion, or deep or complex sorrows (30)

4. Chapter 1 • The first chapter: • Establishes Winston as a viable protagonist • The world overwhelms us, so give us someone similarly powerless • Shows us the contrast between ideology and reality • Teaches us to appreciate beauty in small bursts while moving us into a “hunkered-down” mindset • Lays out a raw-nerved emotional landscape

5. Chapter 1 • This chapter also gives us glimpses of daily life – both the routines (Two Minutes’ Hate) and social conventions • We see who thrives – and the dangers that threaten survival • Outlines Winston’s first real risk • Foreshadows a ridiculous amount of the book’s final chapters • Basically, it’s really important, even if it seems like “nothing happens”

6. Chapter 2 • The second chapter • Establishes some more social structure – youth organizations, family systems, and so on – as well as explaining more about thoughtcrime, slogans, etc. • Includes devastating social commentary – our desire to “re-savage” our young in order to mold them into ideal citizen/soldiers comes back to destroy us, because children can’t be trusted • The hatred displayed by the Parsons children crystallizes Orwell’s feelings regarding the demonization of foes • Winston is “already dead” – when better to start living than now?

7. What Dreams May Come • The third chapter • Gives us hints of Winston’s past • The “dream” will eventually reveal a great deal about what Winston won’t acknowledge • It’s our first real hint of pre-Revolution life’s actual nature • Further examines the Ingsoc dystopia, deconstructing the methods used to keep the populace in check • Helps reinforce the “dehumanization” motif that’s present in everything the party does

8. Down the Memory Hole • The fourth chapter • Gives us a more well-rounded picture of Winston’s purpose, and fills in the “sketch” we’ve formed of him through the first three chapters • Helps us understand what the Ministries do (or at least hints at their true purposes) • Shows exactly how history can be “written” rather than recorded • Reveals a great deal about the Party’s “psychological profile” – its pathological need to be flawless, its all-consuming and unceasing hungers, its blatant contradictions and inefficiencies, and its compulsive desire to dominate anything and everything

9. Thoughtcrime Will Be Impossible… • The fifth chapter • We meet Syme and Parsons, which gives us a spectrum-wide view of the people the Party controls • We begin to really understand Newspeak’s nefarious nature • Winston continues ruminating on the bizarre reality of Oceanian existence – the false faces they wear and the false stats they swallow • We start seeing hints about how life was before the Revolution • The girl is back…and then she’s gone again

10. How Seldom He Thought Of Her • The sixth chapter • Provides us with more insight into Winston’s psychological profile • We’ve wondered why he seems so obsessed with sex and love; now we understand why he’s deeply lonely • Paints an explicit picture of the way the Party has twisted human instinct, particularly when it comes to love and sexuality • Still more confusion about why the Party actually bothers to do all of this • Katharine’s not dead, but she’s not here

11. They Could Never Shout Like That About Anything That Mattered • The seventh chapter • Gives us more information about the proles, who have received cursory mentions previously • Also goes back into life before the Revolution • The chapter – along with the next one – is one of the most important in terms of foreshadowing • Everything from the song playing in the Chestnut Tree Café to Winston’s quotes – “I understand HOW…” – is incredibly critical, and should not be forgotten or passed over

12. It’s a Beautiful Thing • The eighth chapter • Takes us into the Prole village, and all of its weird quirks – its exposure to war, its lottery and trivial concerns, its connection to a past that obsesses Winston but seems unimportant to them • Essentially allows Winston to try his hand at time-traveling • Some attempts are less successful (Old Prole Man) than others (Charrington’s shop) • Winston also finds the paperweight, an important symbol of a lost heritage – one last piece of beauty in an ugly world

13. Life in Hell (or London) • From the instant the clocks strike thirteen, we know this book is going to be trouble • Either the laws of time have been screwed up somehow, or the society we’re about to study has been permanently militarized • We suspect it’s the latter when Winston enters “Victory Mansions”

14. Ideals vs. Realities • We also get an immediate contrast between the Party’s loudly-proclaimed and shining ideals and the harsh realities of Winston’s life • Contrast the perfect poster of Big Brother with the cabbage smell and broken lift

15. Utopia vs. Dystopia • Winston lives in a “dystopia” • Utopia = combination of two Greek words • Alternately means “good place” or “no place” • The impossibility of the realized dream is built into the word’s roots • Dystopia means “bad place” • Authors invent dystopias in order to criticize a a current trend, societal norm, or political system • Remember – Orwell knows this is a worst-case scenario

16. Dystopian Hallmarks • Some characteristics of dystopias: • Propaganda is used to control the citizens of society • Information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted • A figurehead or concept is worshipped by the citizens of the society • Citizens are perceived to be under constant surveillance • Citizens have a fear of the outside world • Citizens live in a dehumanized state • The natural world is banished and distrusted • Citizens conform to uniform expectations • Individuality and dissent are bad • The society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world • How many of these apply to 1984, and how?

17. Controls • We see a combination of three types of dystopian “controls” in 1984 • Bureaucratic control: Society is controlled by a mindless bureaucracy through a tangle of red tape, relentless regulations, and incompetent government officials • Technological control: Society is controlled by technology—through computers, robots, and/or scientific means • Philosophical/religious control: Society is controlled by philosophical or religious ideology often enforced through a dictatorship or theocratic government

18. Dystopian Protagonist • For that matter, Winston meets the qualifications of a dystopian protagonist • He questions the existing social and political systems • He believes or feels that something is terribly wrong with the society in which he lives • He helps the audience recognizes the negative aspects of the dystopian world through his perspective

19. Damaged Humanity • When Winston starts writing, he’s not just scared, but lost – he doesn’t know who will read it (although he figures it’ll be the Thought Police), he can’t be sure he knows the date, and he can’t be sure that the mere act of writing in the diary won’t be enough to justify his vaporization • When the words do start pouring out, however, it’s a guttural expression of damaged humanity • You can’t tell if Winston’s horrified by the sights he describes…and neither can he

20. The Central Question • The Party remains in power, in large part, by damaging every aspect of humanity – our ability to long for something or someone, our desire to create and behave independently, and so on – until they can repurpose that energy for negative purposes. • We understand how they do it – but why?

21. All for Today… • Go shout about something that matters!