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Deconstructionism In George Orwell S 1984

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Deconstructionism in George Orwell’s “1984”
George Orwell’s “1984 is an essential political commentary on the potential dystopian
world that may potentially manifest in the not too distant future. Telling of a society ruled by a
minority elite, the book questions the violation of privacy, reliance on public knowledge, free
thought, language control and the consequences of a megalomaniacal government. Sadly so, it is
true that the current world has shaped to be in a sense, similar to Oceania described in 1984
(Dickens 147). Information control prevents any chance of free thought, and by extension
rebellion, theoretically reducing the proletariat to “bricks in the wall”. Orwell paints the common
man in 1984 to be enslaved by others (in this sense, the government) by the blind pursuit of
power. By analyzing literary theories, readers can comprehensively understand how the novel
relates to the world. The primary theoretical school of thought in 1984 is deconstructionism. The
Theory provides a deeper understanding of the plot and characters as well as the author’s
mindset. While deconstruction theories views George Orwell’s “1984” in terms of mistakes
of binary thinking, Marxism theory tries to prove this perspective in wrong way by
focusing on the optimistic side of equality for the people of Oceania.
Deconstruction aims at pointing out the mistakes of binary thinking. It often challenges
the reader’s way of thinking, making them believe that no single truth exists and the universe

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than it assumed (Hellerstein51). Furthermore, it makes readers feel that everything in the world
is this or that. In Orwell’s 1984, the Party and Big Brother believe that two things cannot
simultaneously exist. Due to this, one has to be destroyed first before the existence of the other
stuff. Furthermore, the life of the other thing overlaps the presence of the first thing. Winston’s
job exemplifies this since he is working diligently to make sure that the historical records are
reflecting the needs of the party. It indicates deconstructive of something that the readers can
recognize since they believe that there are absolute truths which cannot be interfered. They also
believe that honesty is something inherent.
Deconstruction is also illustrated when Winston attempted to clarify the doublethink
concept. He states, "To know and not to know, to be conscious of complete truthfulness while
telling carefully constructed lies, to hold simultaneously two opinions which cancelled out,
knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of them, to use logic against logic, to
repudiate morality while laying claim to i…"(Orwell 75). This shows that two things stopped
being the way they were. The frontier amid of binaries has traversed to the point of two opposing
things being considered the same. Simultaneously an individual can turn both left and right or
exist and at the same time not exist. This is demonstrated by Winston when he comes up with “a
certain Comrade Ogilvy” (Orwell 56). The author uses this to illustrate the effort unravelling
itself as a deconstructionist concept. This shows some contradiction that the world of Oceania is
unstable, making readers begin questioning about reality’s stability. Later Winston affirms “to
understand the word ‘doublethink’ involved the use of doublethink” (Orwell 67). Coinciding
with deconstruction, this implies that the text’s interpretation can go far because it takes living
the reality of the novel to comprehend it fully.

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Surname 1 Name Professor Course Date Deconstructionism in George Orwell’s “1984” George Orwell’s “1984” is an essential political commentary on the potential dystopian world that may potentially manifest in the not too distant future. Telling of a society ruled by a minority elite, the book questions the violation of privacy, reliance on public knowledge, free thought, language control and the consequences of a megalomaniacal government. Sadly so, it is true that the current world has shaped to be in a sense, similar to Oceania described in 1984 (Dickens 147). Information control prevents any chance of free thought, and by extension rebellion, theoretically reducing the proletariat to “bricks in the wall”. Orwell paints the common man in 1984 to be enslaved by others (in this sense, the government) by the blind pursuit of power. By analyzing literary theories, readers can comprehensively understand how the novel relates to the world. The primary theoretical school of thought in 1984 is deconstructionism. The Theory provides a deeper understanding of the plot and characters as well as the author’s mindset. While deconstruction theories views George Orwell’s “1984” in terms of mistakes of binary thinking, Marxism theory tries to prove this perspective in wrong way by focusing on the optimistic side of equality for the people of Oceania. Deconstruction aims at pointing out the mistakes of binary thinking. It often challenges the reader’s way of thinking ...
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