The keynotes of 1984

Throughout the book many subjects are expressed. Including, love, identity, and loyalty. Although, only one really had a grand affect to the characters and plot of the story. That being the matter of identity. Identity is supposed to be unique but can be made generic to control people and make them believe they have no choice.

Personal identity is something that has been almost completely eliminated in 1984. By the Party’s psychological manipulation tactics. They have done everything possible to destroy everybody’s sense of individuality. For example, everyone wears the same clothes and eats the same food. Also, they all live in the same apartments. Overall, life has been made orderly and uniform. This is why if anything that can make someone stick out or even have their own thoughts and such. Has been outlawed. Such as, Winston having his own diary. This simple act of having a personal diary can be punishable by death or as they call it “being vaporized.” As people just seem to disappear when they do such things. People literally are only permitted to think what the Party tells them to think. As they believe, personal thoughts can lead to rebellion. The Party enforces the sense of having no individuality to the point that they have created the thought police. Which are officials who arrest and detain anybody who shows that that they have any personal or unique thoughts of their own.

As for the story, this subject is expressed through the main character, Winston. To illustrate, it all begins when he gets his own personal diary. He does this because he wants to be able to express his own thoughts and feelings. Also, as the story continues and goes to when Winston is detained. He argues to O’Brien that he is a man. But therefore O’Brien counters saying that this sense of individuality is a sign of insanity because he takes it as Winston saying that he is different that everybody else. Lastly, the downfall of Winston’s and Julia’s downfall is due to them thinking that they are special. This of course leads to them being arrested and tortured. Which then goes into them losing individual thought once again just like the Party intended everybody to be.