Big Brother’s character
Big Brother is a major character in 1984. He has an important rule that affects every single person in Oceania. Oceanians are used to living in a constant state of surveillance – either through technology or police patrol.” ( Orwell). Big Brother’s image symbolizes government intimidation, surveillance, and control throughout the novel. In Oceania, citizens are constantly reminded that they are being watched and scrutinized by government agents. Big Brother is this high security menacing figure. The main job of Big Brother is to be the all seeing eye and security Oceania. This means everything people do is watched by him. Almost all people are used to this and accept this, but others struggle and like to break the law; Winston for example hates Big Brother and does what he can to not obey him. Not only is Big Brother all bad to some people he acts as a father figure towards them. “Always eyes watching you and the voice enveloping you. Asleep or awake, indoors or out of doors, in the bath or bed…” Some people in Oceania don’t have a father or a mother that can help them through life. For example Winston again grew up without his mom. Sometimes Big Brother acts like that parent figure by always looking over them. To most people, they think Big Brother is good and is trying to help. On top of being helpful to most people, Big Brother is also in a way like a Dictator. “ He’s making sure you’re always distracted. He’s making sure you’re fully absorbed.” (_ Orwell). Big brother doesn’t want people to overthrow him so he is also controlling. The government makes a new language called Newspeak where they get rid of words that have to do with rebelling and also teach this how he wants it taught. Everyone in Oceania thinks that 2+2=5 because that’s what they are taught so they believe it. With being this controlling Big Brother can change people in significant ways.
Big Brother’s impact
Big Brother had quite a great impact on Winton Smith’s life: “ His pen had slid voluptuously over the smooth paper, printing in large neat capitals.
The main thing to know about Winston is that he hates Big Brother with a burning passion. He writes in his diary a lot which is completely illegal and to top it off, writes about how much he hates Big Brother. Winston will do anything in his power to do exactly what Big Brother and thee government don’t want him to do. The main reason he is like this is because both his mother and his sister are dead and he believes it is Big Brother’s fault. His hate for the government has grown since then into what it is today. “___.” (_Orwell). With Winston Hating Big brother so much he devotes a lot of his time to doing things against him. He also spends a lot of time plotting and hiding things from him. This changes his life drastically because it takes up a lot of his little personal and free time he has. “He gazed up at the enormous face. Forty years it had taken him to learn what kind of smile was hidden beneath the dark moustache. O cruel, needless misunderstanding! O stubborn, self-willed exile from the loving breast! Two gin-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother” (_Orwell). Winston spends all this time being changed and warped by Big Brother mentally to hate him that he eventually ends up getting caught. So they change that. They put Winston through many tortuous sessions and eventually break him causing him to love Big Brother; it’s ironic how this is the one thing he said he would never do.
