Shobeir 1

Malak Shobeir

Ola Gabr

English Literature

21 November 2022

Struggle Against Injustice

Everyone around the world has at least struggled against justice once in their lifetime;

how do these people feel when they see their feelings and thoughts put into words? The struggle

against injustice is a theme that speaks to the reader. Orwell, in 1984, perfectly depicted the

struggle against injustice. Orwell portrays a sense of injustice, a tormented view of a society in

which political systems suppress individual thought and emotions resulting in people living in

complete injustice, which also happens in real life.

Firstly, justice is merely subjective and is represented from different perspectives in the

novel; it depends on the context of the society and the willingness of the citizens of Oceania to

make justice against the laws set by the government. What even is a struggle against injustice?

Nevertheless, most importantly, what even is justice? According to Plato, “ the interest of the

stronger” and this type of justice took up a huge role in 1984’s society. A struggle against

injustice, as displayed in Orwell’s 1984, shows who struggles against the injustice system; the

stronger, which is the inner party, always oppresses the weaker, which are the proles. The ones

with weaker power and authority are the ones who get oppressed the most, but why is justice in

the interest of the stronger? Because when the stronger authority displays what is just and what is

not, the standards become extremely low. People do not even know that they are oppressed
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anymore or the type of injustice they are facing, so for them, there is nothing to fight against

from how badly they are brainwashed.

Orwell depicts the unjust world and the struggle against injustice. Orwell depicts justice

being served as something terrible because justice in this novel refers to the following of the laws

and not moral justice. The injustice that the proles go through stems from the party's propaganda,

which oppresses people. Telescreens have been introduced, which keep an eye on all of their

actions and discussions, giving them no freedom. The Ingsoc party's slogan exemplifies the sense

of contradiction that permeates 1984. The three key slogans of the party—"War is Peace,

Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength" (1948, Orwell) are used to mentally manipulate

the citizens of Oceania. Thinking crime occurs when someone does not entirely agree with and

follow what the party has said. Criminals cease to exist, become unpersons, and any evidence of

their existence is destroyed; after, they are sent to the ministry of love, where they are tortured

and forced to love Big Brother. So what makes this very ironic in serving justice? Well,

according to them, in order to serve justice, everyone has to love/follow the party and nothing

else; everyone else must be eliminated or brainwashed. How is serving justice executed through

killing or brainwashing? Orwell portrayed Winston as the main character struggling against

injustice; he committed thought crime, had affairs, did not believe in the party's propaganda,

committed "sins," and even tried to go against the party by joining their "enemy." Winston also

stated that his affair was a political act/blow struck against the party. Winston's sense of justice

has to do with everybody; he feels everybody needs to be free to express themselves without the

government having to interfere with everything. "Until they become conscious, they will never

rebel, and until after they rebelled, they cannot become conscious"(Orwell 61). Winston notices

that the proles will never have the consciousness they need. Winston's sense of justice has to do
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with everybody; he feels everybody needs to have their own freedom of expression without the

government having to interfere with everything. "Until they become conscious, they will never

rebel, and until after they rebelled, they cannot become conscious"(Orwell 61). Winston notices

that the proles will never have the consciousness they need. All that Winston did was him

struggling with the injustice he and everyone were enduring. However, unfortunately, he still

encountered the same fate as everyone else who went against the party and ended up in the

ministry of love, where he certainly did not receive any love.

Orwell depicted Oceania, and it somehow relates to the real world. In 1984, Orwell

depicted Oceania to warn people of the totalitarian regime rule, which was very prominent

during Orwell's time, such as; The Nazi Party. 1984 as a whole, was a warning against

totalitarianism and state-sponsored brutality. In 1984, socialist idealism devolved into a total loss

of complete personal freedom in favor of a false sense of security and submission to a totalitarian

regime. In 1984, George Orwell described a totalitarian state, Oceania, which bears a

resemblance to Nazi Germany, which was under the leadership of Hitler. In Oceania, the entire

population is controlled by a political party, which rewrites history to support its lies, destroys all

individual thought and expression, and ensures that every citizen supports the party by

destroying any possible opposition. People's lives are controlled by propaganda, brainwashing,

and a thorough invasion of privacy through the use of technology such as telescreens and hidden

mics. Surprisingly Hitler's regime was not any different; people who lived under Hitler's regime

were also oppressed by a powerful and controlling political party and exposed to massive

propaganda, resulting in complete brainwashing from a young age. Both societies of Oceania and

Nazi Germany are filled with images of propaganda and surroundings filled with party slogans,

resulting in the dehumanization and brainwashing of their citizens. In 1984, brainwashing and
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inculcating loyalty to the political parties began at a very young age, when children joined the

"Junior Spies," similar to the situation during the Shoah in Nazi Germany with youth

organizations like the "Hitler Youth." It is also seen that in 1984 neighbors would turn each other

in; also, in Nazi Germany, the same happened; some Germans would turn in their Jewish

neighbors to the Gestapo.

The way that Orwell depicted the struggle against injustice speaks to a particular group of

people, those who live in similar situations. This struggle is endured in many ways worldwide

through different topics, whether it is about women's rights, freedom, religious oppression, and

many more. Winston's character is not one of a kind; many figures like him exist, but not all

have the same ending. Some people succeed in achieving something in their struggle against

injustice. Anyone trying to fight injustice will deeply connect with 1984 from how greatly

Orwell wrote it.

Orwell perfectly depicted the struggle against injustice in his 1984 novel; everyone who

once struggled against injustice has their thoughts written in his novel. George Orwell depicted a

society where political structures restrict individual thought and feeling, leaving people to live in

utter injustice, which also occurs in real life.

Works Cited

Bösing, Valentin. “Does George Orwell's ‘1984’ Resemble Nazi Germany?” GRIN, 17

Mar. 2018, www.grin.com/document/417163.

“George Orwell.” George Orwell - 1984, www.abhaf.org/assets/books/html/1984/60.html.

“George Orwell's ‘1984’ Explores Societal Issues in Performance at the Hippodrome.”

News | College of the Arts | University of Florida, 31 Aug. 2017,

arts.ufl.edu/in-the-loop/news/george-Orwell's-1984-explores-societal-issues-in-

performance-at-the-hippodrome/.

“Human Rights And Violence In George Orwell's 1984.” Human Rights and Violence in

George Orwell's 1984, www.ipl.org/essay/Human-Rights-And-Violence-In-George-

Orwells-PCYDG7RAWG.

“Individualism In The Book 1984 By George Orwell.” Individualism in the Book 1984 by

George Orwell, www.ipl.org/essay/Individualism-In-The-Book-1984-By-George-

P3JS5674NDTV.

mm2049. “Recent Posts.” Law and the Humanities LLM, 28 Oct. 2018,

blogs.kent.ac.uk/lawandthehumanities/2018/10/28/orwells-1984-and-the-body-of-law/.

swart.50, Swart, and juranich.1 says: “Text Review-1984 by George Orwell.” Comparative

Studies 1100 Spring 2021 Fechtel, 20 Aug. 2021,

u.osu.edu/cs1100sp21fechtel/2021/04/20/text-review-1984-by-george-orwell/comment-

page-1/.
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