“1984” and “Brave New World”-
Big Brother is Watching You

        Imagine a world where surveillance and the state’s absolute control is everywhere. Now imagine another world, where pleasure is the ultimate goal, and people are conditioned to be content in their servitude. Both worlds are under the control of a government which embraces totalitarianism. “1984” by George Orwell and “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley are both classic dystopian novels. They share common themes of oppressive control, conformity, and the risk of an all-powerful state, despite being written in different eras and styles. 

       First, the contrasting settings and societies of these two works. “1984” emphasizes the grim and oppressive world dominated by the Party led by a famous figure known as Big Brother, you probably have heard of this well-known slogan: “Big Brother is watching you.” In the superstate Oceania, people are highly and strictly controlled and surveilled. The people live under a totalitarian regime and the fear of being punished. Similarly, the world in “Brave New World” is stratified and controlled by technology, even the reproduction is artificial, each person’s role of society is assigned. Citizens are divided into five castes, every caste has its own society roles. These two novels serve as cautionary tales towards today’s society.

       Secondly, the methods of control in both novels will be briefly described in the following passages. In “1984”, the official use devices known as telescreens to monitor citizens, this device can do podcasting to implement brainwash as well. Oceania created a language called Newspeak, it limits the vocabulary and concepts to eliminate thoughts and expressions, making it difficult to express different ideas. In Oceania, even thoughts are considered as crimes, if someone thinks something that goes against the Party, it will lead to severe punishments. Moreover, the Ministry of Truth makes up false information and histories to manipulate people’s thought and understanding of the world. While in the world of “Brave New World”, everyone’s birth is controlled by a highly regulated system, their castes are assigned by genetic engineering and cannot be changed. Lower caste citizens like Deltas and Epsilons can only do tough works, moreover, they are mental retarded as well. There is a technique known as conditioning, which is used to hypnotize citizens, in order to make them accept their roles and obey the regulations. Additionally, the state offers a drug called Soma, it provides temporary and immediate escapes for unhappiness and reality. This drug is used to maintain and fulfill people’s contentment, while prevent their rebellion. Throughout the story, the state does whatever they can do to encourage hedonistic lifestyles, citizens are encouraged to engage in superficial entertainments which leads to the loss of individuality.

       Lastly, individualism and self-identity are stated in both novels. The protagonist of “1984” Winston is initially discontented with the Party’s control over every aspects of his daily life, he complains about the work, the inadequate gin he receives, even the manipulating of Oceania. He somehow starts to keep secret diary, which is a symbolic act of rebellion. Throughout the novel, his inner thoughts keep changing. On one hand, he longs for freedom; on the other hand, he is afraid of the consequence of rebellion. His story highlights the difficulty of maintaining one’s principle in such a dystopian world and the idea of human-beings’ desire for freedom and individualism. As for Bernard in “Brave New World”, though he is an Alpha, which means he is the highest caste among the society, he is physically and mentally weaker than others. This makes him feel like an outsider, he does not agree with  the hedonistic lifestyles which embraced by other people as well. His existence highlights the conflict between individuality and conformity, he does not want to be like others. He also plays a role of rebellion against the totalitarian state and highly hedonistic society. We can observe that two protagonists still have something in common though they are in two different novels and eras, which are their alike individualism thoughts and rebellion.

       In summary, "1984" and "Brave New World" are well-known dystopian novels penned by George Orwell and Aldous Huxley. Despite their distinct writing styles and time periods, both books explore themes of oppressive control, conformity, and the dangers posed by an all-powerful state. In summary, both "1984" and "Brave New World" continue to resonate as cautionary tales, warning against the dangers of totalitarianism and the erosion of individual liberties in the pursuit of absolute control.