1984- Book 1

Winston Smith

Protagonist; an Outer Party member who secretly questions the Party and commits thoughtcrime by thinking independently.

Big Brother

The symbolic leader of Oceania; represents constant surveillance and absolute authority.

Julia (dark-haired girl)

Young woman who appears loyal to the Party; Winston initially suspects her of being a spy.

O'Brien

Inner Party member; intelligent and confident; Winston believes he may secretly oppose the Party.

Mr. Charrington

Owner of a junk shop; seems kind and nostalgic; connected to the preserved past.

Mrs. Parsons

Winston's neighbor; worn down by Party life and afraid of her own children.

Tom Parsons

Winston's coworker; loyal Party member; represents blind obedience.

Parsons' children

Members of the Spies; indoctrinated to spy on adults, even their parents.

Syme

Winston's coworker; works on Newspeak; too intelligent and likely to be vaporized.

Katharine

Winston's ex-wife; rigidly loyal to the Party and emotionally cold.

The Thought Police

Enforce ideological conformity by detecting and punishing thoughtcrime.

The Proles

Working-class majority; largely ignored by the Party but potentially powerful.

Inner Party

Elite ruling class with privileges and full power.

Outer Party

Bureaucratic middle class; heavily monitored and controlled.

Spies

Youth organization that trains children to report thoughtcrime.

Oceania

Totalitarian superstate where the novel takes place.

Airstrip One

Former Great Britain; Winston's home province.

Telescreen

Device that monitors citizens visually and audibly at all times.

Two Minutes Hate

Daily event used to stir fear and loyalty toward the Party.

Victory Mansions

Winston's apartment building, ironically run-down.

Ministry of Truth (Minitrue)

Controls information, propaganda, and historical records.

Ministry of Peace (Minipax)

Oversees war.

Ministry of Love (Miniluv)

Handles punishment, torture, and re-education.

Ministry of Plenty (Miniplenty)

Controls the economy and rationing.

Party slogan

"War is Peace / Freedom is Slavery / Ignorance is Strength."

Totalitarianism

Political system where the state has absolute control over citizens.

Surveillance state

Society in which citizens are constantly monitored.

Propaganda

Information used to manipulate public opinion.

Vaporization

Complete erasure of a person from existence and records.

Hate Week

Party event designed to increase loyalty and aggression.

Thoughtcrime

Thinking anything against Party ideology.

Doublethink

Holding two contradictory beliefs at the same time.

Newspeak

Official language designed to eliminate rebellious thought.

Oldspeak

Standard English before Newspeak.

Memory hole

Used to destroy inconvenient historical documents.

Crimestop

Stopping dangerous thoughts automatically.

Ingsoc

English Socialism; the Party's ideology.

Facecrime

Revealing unorthodox thoughts through facial expression.

Unperson

Someone erased from existence.

Reality control

The Party's ability to shape what people believe is real.

Collectivism

Emphasis on group loyalty over individual identity.

Psychological control

Manipulation of thoughts and emotions.

Ideological conformity

Absolute agreement with Party beliefs.

Censorship

Suppression of information.

Historical revisionism

Rewriting the past to fit current narratives.

Fear as control

The Party uses fear to maintain power.

Language limitation

Reducing vocabulary to limit thought.

False scarcity

Artificial shortages used to control citizens.

Permanent war

Endless conflict used to unify society.

Mass indoctrination

Teaching ideology from childhood.

Political repression

Suppression of dissent.

Loss of individuality

Erasure of personal identity.

Surveillance culture

Society conditioned to accept monitoring.

Total obedience

Required loyalty to the Party.

Emotional suppression

Elimination of love, joy, and trust.

Intellectual danger

Intelligence seen as a threat to the Party.

Controlled reality

Truth defined only by the Party.

Artificial patriotism

Forced loyalty through fear and propaganda.

Public conformity

Acting loyal regardless of private belief.

Private rebellion

Internal resistance, like Winston's thoughts.

Winston's diary

Symbol of rebellion and free thought.

Glass paperweight

Represents the past, beauty, and individuality.

Big Brother posters

Constant reminder of surveillance.

The past

Something the Party tries to erase.

Broken-down buildings

Decay caused by Party neglect.

Telescreens (symbolic)

Loss of privacy.

Children (symbolic)

Tools of the Party.

Victory Gin

Low-quality product symbolizing false success.

Victory Cigarettes

Party-issued goods masking scarcity.

The prole districts

Area with relative freedom but little power.

Songs sung by proles

Manufactured culture.

Bombings

Possibly staged to maintain fear.

Uniform clothing

Loss of individuality.

Ruined churches

Erasure of religion and tradition.

Old photographs

Dangerous evidence of truth.

Surveillance

Constant monitoring eliminates privacy.

Power

Maintained through fear and control, not consent.

Truth

Defined by the Party, not facts.

Memory

Unreliable due to manipulation.

Rebellion

Begins with independent thought.

Freedom

The ability to think and speak truth.

Oppression

Systematic control of citizens.

Language control

Limits thought and resistance.

Psychological manipulation

Stronger than physical force.

Loss of history

Prevents resistance.

Individual vs. State

Central conflict of the novel.

Fear

Primary motivator of obedience.

Hope

Exists potentially in the proles.

Ignorance

Encouraged to maintain control.

Obedience

Required for survival.

False reality

Manufactured truth.

Intellectual freedom

Dangerous under totalitarianism.

Total control

Party's ultimate goal.

Human connection

Suppressed by the Party.

Sexual repression

Redirects loyalty to the Party.

Propaganda effectiveness

Repetition makes lies believable.

Erasure of self

Loss of identity.

Moral corruption

Power destroys ethics.

Resistance

Begins internally, not publicly.

"If there is hope…"

Winston's belief that change may come from the proles.