Intrusion

George Orwell creates a theme of intrusion in his fictional novel Nineteen eighty-four. A ‘telescreen’ would be airing out Propaganda and watching everybody’s move with the omnipresence of the slogan ‘BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU’ which is described as ‘one of those picture’s which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move’ (3) is plastered on the walls, posters and billboards everywhere. It was a constant reminder that they were being watched. The telescreens weren’t there for the purpose of entertaining but for the government to make sure they were doing what was expected to do so. All members of the parties had one in their homes. They were able to monitor all the actions of the members of the party and can tell if they were in breech of any of the rules. An act of unorthodox thoughts called ‘thoughtcrime’ can be picked up through the telescreen by the ‘Thought Police’. The thought police use them as well as the inner party to observe one’s every single action and move they make. How often, or on what system, the thought police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork…You had to live-did live, from habit that became instinct-in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinised. (5) Again this shows how intruded the people of Oceania were. In every little corner or crevice these systems were present and removed the existence of privacy in peoples lives. Even having your back turned to the telescreen could dire such consequences. It didn’t matter how intelligent they were all the citizens of Oceania were closely watched. It was the job of the Thought Police to punish and discipline Thought Criminals and they often ended up disappearing or ‘vaporised’ as if they never existed. The party also turned children into spies. They were removed from their families and trained to watch the actions of their parent’s. Nearly all children nowadays were horrible. What was worst of all was that by means of such organizations as the Spies they were systematically turned into ungovernable little savages, and yet this produced in them no tendency whatever to rebel against the discipline of the Party. On the contrary, they adored the Party and everything connected with it… All their ferocity was turned outwards, against the enemies of the State, against foreigners, traitors, saboteurs, thought-criminals. It was almost normal for people over thirty to be frightened of their own children. (26) The children were brainwashed to become loyal party supporters and were fierce towards thought criminals why most adults were often afraid of their own children. They willing denounced their family members to the thought police. This shows there was never a loving, stable family unit in the state of Oceania and was a form of psychological control. In the novel Winston engages in a relationship with a young girl called Julia. She hands him a note and Winston is really curious to read it without arousing too much suspicion and goes into the lavatory. ‘While he stood at the urinal he managed, with a little more fingering, to get it unfolded. Obviously there must be a message of some kind written on it. For a moment he was tempted to take it into one of the water-closets and read it at once. But that would be shocking folly, as he well knew. There was no place where you could be more certain that the telescreens were watched continuously’. Winston was tempted to read the note but realised it would be a really foolish idea as there was no place safe, the telescreens were constantly watching them and watched them closer in the lavatories. The only place you could consider private would be the bathroom but still their personal space was being invaded. The citizens lived in a tough, emotional emptiness life. The society of Nineteen Eight-four is a shocking example of totalitarianism where everything is controlled by the government.