[Book] 1984: Social Construct

It’s been few weeks, perhaps months since I finish reading this book. It is one of the most facinating book that I had ever came across. I wanted to write an analysis about this book for quite some time, but had been occupied with a lot of things. Finally, I get to take a breath from all those things and decided to write this review.

1984 is one of the best selling classic fiction written by George Orwell, first published in 1949. In the novel, George Orwell discuss about a lot of facinating idea that would jusut blow off our mind, thinking that why we never thought of it before.

Before I start writing this blog, I had lay out a list of idea that I want to discuss. However, after I start writing about social hierarchy, I just can’t stop and it end up as a stand alone blog. There is little to no spoiler in this blog, so do enjoy it even if you had yet read the book!

Social hierarchy

In the book, there are a total of 3 class hierarchy, namely inner party, outer party and proletariant.

Inner party

Inner party made up of 2% of the total population. The inner party have access to the most luxurious thing which outer party and proletariant do not have access to. These include spacious living quarter, personal servants, high quality food such as fine red wine, high quality coffee, etc. These are the benefit that both outer party and proletariant do not have access to. On top of that, the telescreen can be turn off (although it said to be unwise to turn off more than 30 minutes).

Outer party

Outer party made up of 13% of the total population. They are the middle class of Oceania. They do not have access to as much luxury as inner party. Instead of high quality food, they get low quality food such as synthetic coffee, gin, synthetic chocolate. Instead of spacious office, they work in cubicles. They are also under constant surveillance and has little to no personal privacy.

Proletariant

Proletariant are made up of 85% of the total population. While inner party and outer party are under constant surveillance through the telescreen, proles quarter has little to no telescreen for surveillance. This reflect that the rulling party has little interested to cares about the proles. They are extremely poor. Most of them has little care about anything other than football, alcohol, lottery ticket, pornography, etc. They are constantly kept sedated with these sensual pleasure by the party.

Analysis

Does this class hierarchy sound familiar? Yes! The class hierarchy in Oceania resemblance the social status in the world that we are living in. In the world that we are living in, top 1% wealthiest of the population posses 40% of the wealth while bottom 80% posses only 7% of the wealth.

The inner party resemblance the top wealthiest population in our world. They have access to the most luxurious lifestyle that most people can’t afford. They have the biggest house, most expensive luxury car, best quality food, etc. Some of them even have private yachts and helicopter. These inner party are some of the most wealthy and powerful people on earth. They are the politicians, top management of corporate, investor, etc. Most of the power are aggregate in these group of people, and their decision can affect a lot of people, including you without you knowing it.

Meanwhile, the outer party resemblance the middle class. The middle class has decent job with decent income, just like the outer party who working for the party in one of the ministry. While most of the middle class can afford material thing to a certain extend, they are often in debt. Because of it, they will automatically work hard in order to pay off their debt. While the outer party drive by the fear of getting capture by the ruling party, the middle class drive by the fear of losing the material thing that they posses. They are like the slave or prisoner of the material world.

The proletariant resemblance the lower income population. Most of them have job, but not good enough to afford extra luxury like top and middle class do. Majority of them cannot afford buying a house. Many of them rent house and drive old car or take public transport. They work from 9 to 5 every week day like a machine. If there are something that driving them forward, it would be the false hope that given to them. These false hope are social construct that are designed to distract them from wanting to escape from the reality. False hope such that able to becoming the top wealthy person by sacrificing a part of their little earning. False hope such that giving them the short term sensual pleasure so they are able to withstand the suffering. False hope such that helping them to escape from the reality. They come in a form of lottery ticket, gambling, football, alcohol, sex, etc. Eventually, they are like a hamster on a wheel that trap in a cage.

Inner party is one who has power to decide the will of Big Brother, while outer party and proletariant must obey the will. In our world, upper population are one in power with corporate or government, making decision and the employees or citizen must follow. Inner party also create things that can keep proletarians sedated with sensual pleasure. In our world, upper population are one who own lottery company or casino, giving false hope to the lower income group. They also create beer factory, selling these beer to the lower income group helping them to escape from the reality, while they enjoying the finest red wine, siting at the expensive, long, white marble table, inside the bungalow that they own.

Inner party or upper class seems like the best to live in, but which class is the worst to live in?

While the middle class get to enjoy luxury which the lower income group cannot afford, they are too trap with all the material matter. They are deeply trap in the system, perhaps even depper than the lower income group did. Credit card that they hold, house loan and car loan that they get, education loan that they lend, all these are what trapped them deeply in the system itself. They know that they are trapped, but they can no longer escape from it for various reason that they have. Just like the outer party that being protrayed in the book, while knowing the truth, could not escape due to the fear that are impose on them.

The lower income group however, constantly drive by the false hope that given to them. They are unaware of the false hope, nor the truth, just living like a pleasure seeking animal. They are trap without they themselves knowing it. They live as if they are the most free people in the world, doing whatever they want, without caring much for thing that they do not want to care of. Just like the proletariants that being protrayed in the book, as long as they had done their job, they live their life the they want to. There are little to no telescreen in the quarter that they live in too. They are perhaps the most free group within all 3 category.

Here, middle class might be the worst group to be. Being the group that long lost ignorance, they are trapped in a cycle that they can no longer escape. What good can it do to them for the little more luxury which they get to enjoy as oppose to the cost that they are paying for. Here, ignorance is perhaps the answer to the happiness, the mindless hapiness that can blindly pursue by our pleasure seeking natural instinct.

Contrarily, upper class, from the surface, looks like having the most freedom compare to the other 2 social class. However, they are also bound by the conventional patriarchy hierarchy. Corporate leader need to follow all the rules set by the government. They too need to please other people to maintain their business and social standing. The same goes for politician, who need to constantly please the citizen to remain in power. Unless, they are dictator.

Dictator too are not free! They are bound to fail if they do not please the crook around him. He, who is a dictator, need to please the head of military to be in favor of him. He, who is a dictator, too need to please the influential individual who are powerful enough to be able to overthrow him. He too, being a dictator, are not truly free and bound by various constrain which they cannot escape from.

So, why is one class seems better to live in than the others?

Without thinking twice, upper class seems the best to live in because the freedom that they are entitled to, as oppose to the middle and lower class. Lower class, seems to be better than middle class, for the reason of ignorance of their state of being trapped. At the same time, they have more freedom compare to the middle class. They careless about other thing and seeking for nothing but pleasure. Unlike middle class, they are smart enough to know that they are trapped, but not powerful enough to escape from it.

Ultimately, what is the best then? If we could not become the upper class, should we be learn ignorance and be the most happy social class?

My answer is NO. I present you the free being, the free being who are not bound by anything. To be free being , it would require the will to truth and will to power. The will to truth is the will to understand the truth of the condition they are in. Lower class need to will to know the truth behind the false hope which that are given to them. What come after is the ultimate will to power. Ultimate will to power, are to power over ourself. One who prioritize will to power over others are still bound by some constraint, like the politician or dictator. He who will to power over himself, are truly free from any constraint.

He, who is a lower class, finding out the truth behind the social construct should will to power over himself, stop trapping inside the trap with disguise of sensual pleasure. He, who is a middle class, should will to power over himself, stop getting deeper into the trap bury himself off with all the loans and borrowing. He, who is a upper class, should prioritize will to power over himself instead of will to power over others.

"He cannot rule himself will certainty be ruled by others"- Friedrich Nietzsche

This ultimate free being, would not only free from the nature of constraint that would bound on them, also free from the constraint of being in any social construct itself.