Loss of Individuality Under the Control of the Totalitarian System

Abstract

This thesis discusses the idea of totalitarianism and injustice practiced by the totalitarian society towards its citizens that led to the loss of their individuality. Nineteen Eighty-four is a dystopian novel written by George Orwell in 1948 and published in 1949 tackled this issue. First of all, this study uses on the Marxist theory and the main aim of this dissertation is to analyze and explore the forms of freedom-control by governments, as well as the domination of the minority (government) over the majority (people) and the interference in the individual’s lives, and the role of totalitarianism in shaping the individual’s personalities. This thesis consists of two chapters in addition to the introduction and the conclusion. The first chapter will provide background information to understand some theoretical key concepts such as Marxism as the main theory, plus a general overview of George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four and the author biography. The second chapter will analyze and discuss the main themes in the novel and describes how the totalitarian system controls and manipulates every aspect of people’s life in which they are deprived of their own individuality, and to show how the individuals are affected by the totalitarian society.