1984

Because issues of privacy and government control only increase as new technological developments are introduced.

Privacy is highly valued in modern civilizations yet the increased threats to national security prompts governments to adopt new techniques that better allow them to monitor civilians. Whether surveillance cameras or the wiretapping of telephones, the need to see and hear the lives of individuals is promoted as a way to ensure safety. This monitoring; however, also allows the government to control the people. George Orwell is able to recreate a world in which the government maintains extensive surveillance on the people in order to maintain its supremacy. The Party is not interested in public safety, but rather wants to monitor people in order to ensure their obedience. What the Party cannot do; however, is establishing a complete dominion. Thus, we find Winston who bypasses the telescreens in order to write his dissenting ideas in a diary. Orwell’s novel can provide insight into the difficult questions on when the government oversteps the boundary into private space. It challenges the readers to think on whether Winston and Julia are justified in resisting the watchful eye of Big Brother or whether ultimately the surveillance is for their own good, to keep them out of trouble. Nineteen Eighty-Four is a novel that appeals to both sides of the debate. It can serve as an inspirational tale for people seeking to limit the government but it can also expose the futility of anti-government movements.