Reference no: EM133204007

To show the reader both the internal and external reality of life under a totalitarian regime, 1984 uses a third-person limited point of view. The thoughts and memories of Winston Smith are available to us in the story, but not those of the other characters. The narrative simultaneously portrays Winston's thoughts and feelings while making observations about them because Orwell uses third-person pronouns (referred to Winston as "he") rather than first-person pronouns. Winston, for instance, considers the proletariat and sees that they have remained human. Winston doesn't see the connection, but Orwell makes it clear to the reader that there is one since, in contrast to the proles, Winston has mostly lost his humanity. The impression that Orwell has of knowing Winston's psychology better than he does is given to the reader. The reader can plainly see that Winston's increasing dehumanization is the product of a continuing, systemized campaign to steal people of their uniqueness and free choice, even as Winston challenges his memories and motives. Additionally, Orwell can flip between Winston's limited viewpoint and tools that give his experiences more context thanks to the third-person point of view. Since Winston is the one who explains to the reader how the Ministry of Truth functions, we are just as ignorant about the nature of the Party and how it operates as Winston is. This makes it more likely that he is being watched in ways he is unaware of or that the people he trusts, like O'Brien and Mr. Charrington, are deceiving him. Orwell occasionally deviates from Winston's point of view by giving the reader a peek of what Winston is reading or listening to. Winston wouldn't have known about the political analysis of Oceania's society that is included in Goldstein's manifesto, for instance, which may or may not be true. In order to broaden and deepen the political critique of 1984, Orwell adopts a third-person omniscient point of view by presenting parts of the manifesto as Winston reads them aloud. This gives the reader the ability to form their own opinions about what Winston's experiences signify rather than relying just on his potentially incorrect perceptions.

• How does reading from another's perspective aid you in understanding what you read or in recognizing the value of the text?