Connections to the Past: The Importance of Consciousness and Memory in Nineteen Eighty-Four

Abstract

Abstract: In this article, we go through and conduct multiple textual analyses to find out if George Orwell’s dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four contain enough textual evidence to conclude on the question: Is the importance of memory and consciousness preservation an important theme? We approach three major motifs that appear throughout the novel and then do a close reading on a passage. The results, I feel, are undeniable. Orwell, in writing the novel, presents us with multiple instances of the characters facing downfall because of their lack of self-preservation, and them being rewarded when they do.

Abstract: In this article, we go through and conduct multiple textual analyses to find out if George Orwell’s dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four contain enough textual evidence to conclude on the question: Is the importance of memory and consciousness preservation an important theme? We approach three major motifs that appear throughout the novel and then do a close reading on a passage. The results, I feel, are undeniable. Orwell, in writing the novel, presents us with multiple instances of the characters facing downfall because of their lack of self-preservation, and them being rewarded when they do.