1984 #2

The hypocrisy of Winston's job and his thoughts shows how the world in which Winston lives is extremely distorted and mangled. In the novel 1984, the thoughts and beliefs of the protagonist Winston are explored. He feels that the world he lives in now is much different that the world he grew up in as a boy. Winston is upset with the lies and propaganda that the government spread. He knows things that the government lied about but has no way to prove it,


"The Party said that Oceania had never been in alliance with Eurasia. He, Winston Smith, knew that Oceania had been in alliance with Eurasia as short a time as four years ago. But where did that knowledge exist? Only in his own consciousness, which in any case must soon be annihilated" (34)

Winston knows that the government's lies are wrong. He knows that the government represses facts and erases any proof of events that the government deems wrong. However, it is Winston's own job to change the facts and "[bring] the past up to date". The thing that Winston hates so much is what he does for a living. This behavior emulates the hypocritical society in which Winston lives; where "WAR IS PEACE" "FREEDOM IS SLAVERY" and "IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH". The juxtaposition of either side enhances the feeling of a true dystopian society.