This blog is part of a thinking activity assigned by Dr. Dilip Barad. By analyzing these two videos, we have gained deeper insights into the novel 1984 and its broader themes. Click Here.
Power, Belief, and the Erosion of Individuality in Orwell’s 1984
George Orwell’s 1984 presents a harrowing vision of a totalitarian society where power is not just a tool of governance but an omnipresent force that dictates reality itself. The phrase “God is power” is not merely a statement of ideological dominance but a chilling assertion that in Oceania, divinity is synonymous with absolute control. This analysis explores the deeper implications of this phrase, examining how Orwell critiques the intersection of political authority and belief systems. Through Winston Smith’s struggle against an all-consuming state, Orwell exposes the terrifying potential of power to shape truth, erase individuality, and replace faith with blind submission to authority. In a world where the Party controls not just the present but the past and future, power becomes the ultimate deity an inescapable, omnipotent force that dictates thought, history, and even the boundaries of reality itself.
📌 Highlights:
"God is power" – The Party seeks ultimate control over truth and existence.
Faith as a Tool – Orwell critiques how religion, especially Catholicism, can be manipulated for obedience.
Winston’s Resistance – His struggle is not just personal but a fight for independent thought.
God & Power – The novel mentions God eight times, marking shifts in Winston’s understanding of authority.
Total Control – The Party dominates memory, language, and perception to dictate reality.
Perpetual War – A tool to instill fear, loyalty, and submission through constant hysteria.
Power & Oppression – Orwell warns how absolute authority can rewrite history and weaponize ideology.
Key Insights
🗣️ Orwell’s Critique of Religion: The Subversion of Faith
Orwell’s engagement with religion in 1984 is not a simple dismissal but a deeper critique of how structures of faith can be co-opted to serve authoritarian ends. The Party does not reject religion outright it absorbs and repurposes it, replacing divine authority with state authority. The phrase “God is power” signifies this transformation, illustrating how dictatorships do not seek to abolish belief but rather to redirect it toward a new, unquestionable entity: the Party. Orwell warns that when faith is monopolized by power, it ceases to be a force of liberation and becomes a mechanism for control, turning devotion into subjugation and worship into obedience.
Winston’s Rebellion: The Last Cry of the Human Spirit
Winston Smith’s journey is more than an act of defiance it is the final struggle of human autonomy against a system designed to obliterate it. His quiet acts of rebellion his diary, his love affair, his desperate search for truth represent a faith in the persistence of individuality. However, Orwell does not romanticize Winston’s resistance; instead, he shows how even the strongest mind can be dismantled under the weight of absolute power. Winston’s eventual submission is not just a personal defeat but a philosophical statement: in a world where power dictates reality, even resistance becomes futile. His downfall serves as a chilling reminder that totalitarian control extends beyond laws and punishments it infiltrates thought itself.
🔗 Power as Control: The Party’s Domination of Reality
Power in 1984 is not merely about governance it is about the complete and utter control of perception. The Party’s authority is cemented not through brute force alone but through its ability to rewrite history, reshape language, and dictate truth. The phrase “God is power” is a declaration that in Oceania, truth is not objective it is whatever the Party decrees it to be. Orwell exposes the terrifying reality that when power is unchecked, it does not merely govern it defines existence itself. This concept is central to the Party’s doctrine: to rule completely, one must not just control bodies, but minds, memories, and even emotions.
⏳ Surveillance and Propaganda: The Invisible Chains of Thought
The most insidious aspect of Oceania’s dictatorship is its pervasive control over thought through relentless surveillance and propaganda. Citizens are conditioned to police their own minds, erasing independent thought before it can even form. The telescreens, constant monitoring, and public executions serve as external reinforcements, but the true power of the Party lies in its ability to make individuals complicit in their own oppression. Orwell masterfully illustrates that the greatest form of control is not physical chains it is convincing the oppressed that they are free, or worse, that they desire their enslavement.
⚖️ The Reversal of Freedom and Slavery: The Ultimate Ideological Manipulation
The Party’s slogans -“Freedom is Slavery,” “War is Peace,” “Ignorance is Strength”-are not merely contradictions; they are profound exercises in psychological dominance. The phrase “God is power” follows the same logic, reinforcing the idea that power itself is the highest form of belief, and submission to that power is the ultimate truth. By systematically dismantling logical thought and replacing it with paradoxical obedience, the Party ensures that no resistance is possible, for even the act of questioning becomes unthinkable. This reversal of fundamental truths reprograms individuals into willing subjects, demonstrating the horrifying potential of power when it extends beyond politics into the realm of ideology and belief.
The Role of War: Manufacturing Fear and Allegiance
The notion of perpetual war is one of Orwell’s most incisive critiques of political manipulation. War, in Oceania, is not fought for victory but for the maintenance of power. It creates a permanent state of fear and sacrifice, convincing citizens that their suffering is necessary, even noble. Orwell draws a parallel between religious devotion and political propaganda, showing how both can be used to justify oppression under the guise of a higher cause. By glorifying war as a sacred duty, the Party ensures that citizens are too consumed with survival to question their subjugation.
The Risks of Absolute Power: Orwell’s Final Warning
At its core, 1984 is a warning against the unchecked concentration of power. Orwell does not merely depict a dystopian nightmare he crafts a cautionary tale that resonates beyond fiction. The Party’s ability to rewrite history, manipulate language, and control belief systems illustrates that when power becomes absolute, it ceases to govern and instead dictates reality itself. Orwell’s message is clear: when power is deified, humanity is sacrificed. The phrase “God is power” thus serves as the ultimate summation of the novel’s warning that in a world where authority is worshipped, truth becomes meaningless, and the individual is reduced to nothing.
Conclusion: The Fragility of Truth and the Resilience of Thought
Orwell’s 1984 is more than just a dystopian novel it is a philosophical meditation on the nature of power, belief, and the erosion of individual autonomy. The phrase “God is power” is not just a thematic statement but a terrifying prophecy a reminder that when authority becomes absolute, it does not just demand obedience, but belief itself. Through Winston’s tragic fate, Orwell compels readers to reflect on the fragility of truth, the ease with which belief can be manipulated, and the urgent need for vigilance against forces that seek to redefine reality. In the face of totalitarian control, the greatest act of rebellion may not be revolution, but simply the act of remembering, of thinking freely, and of refusing to let power dictate truth.
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Summary:
This analysis of 1984 extends beyond its critique of totalitarianism, drawing parallels between the Party’s oppressive mechanisms and organized religion, particularly Catholicism. The superstates Oceania, Eurasia, and East Asia mirror the three Abrahamic religions, suggesting that religious dogma, like political ideology, functions as a tool of control. The Party’s use of confession reflects Catholic practices, with Winston’s psychological destruction resembling forced repentance. Big Brother assumes a divine role, turning surveillance into religious oversight, while the Party’s rigid hierarchy echoes the Christian Holy Trinity, reinforcing Orwell’s critique of absolute authority.
Furthering this interpretation, Room 101 is likened to Dante’s Inferno, where suffering purges ideological dissent. The Party’s ultimate goal is not just obedience but the annihilation of independent thought. Orwell’s own disillusionment with Catholicism adds weight to this reading, making 1984 not just a warning against totalitarian rule but a deeper reflection on faith, control, and human submission.
Highlights:
Political & Religious Satire – 1984 critiques both political oppression and religious control, particularly Catholicism.
Superstates & Abrahamic Religions – The division of Oceania, Eurasia, and East Asia parallels the structure of major religious traditions, critiquing ideological absolutism.
Confession as Control – The Party’s forced confessions mirror religious guilt and repentance as tools of subjugation.
Big Brother as a God-like Figure – State surveillance mimics divine oversight, demanding unwavering faith.
Pyramidal Power Structure – The Party’s hierarchy resembles religious institutions, leaving no room for personal interpretation.
Room 101 as Inferno – The psychological torture in Room 101 echoes religious purification through suffering.
Orwell’s Disillusionment – Orwell’s break from Catholicism informs the novel’s warning against blind faith and authoritarianism.
Key Insights
📚 The Dual Nature of 1984 – Orwell’s masterpiece functions on two critical levels: as a searing indictment of totalitarian rule and as an exploration of religious structures that parallel the mechanisms of political oppression. This dual critique expands the novel’s significance beyond the realm of political philosophy into the domain of theological and existential thought.
⚔️ Religious Parallels in Governance – The Party operates much like a theocracy, using ideological orthodoxy, sacred texts (The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism), and unassailable doctrines to maintain power, much as religious institutions do through scripture and dogma.
⛪ Confession and Psychological Subjugation – The novel’s portrayal of confession as a means of state control forces the reader to question whether religious confession, too, can serve as a mechanism for psychological and moral domination. Is the act of confession truly about redemption, or is it about reinforcing submission to an all-powerful authority?
👁️ Surveillance as Spiritual Discipline – Orwell turns the concept of divine omniscience on its head by presenting constant surveillance as a means of ensuring ideological purity. The terrifying realization in 1984 is that the faithful those who believe in Big Brother are rewarded, while heretics are cast into oblivion.
🔺 Hierarchical Structures and Control – The Party’s unyielding structure reflects the rigid hierarchy of religious institutions, where unquestioned authority dictates belief systems. Orwell critiques this framework by demonstrating how both systems manipulate truth to sustain power.
🔥 Room 101 and the Theology of Suffering – The final stage of Winston’s psychological destruction is not merely torture—it is transformation. Like the concept of purgatory or divine judgment, Room 101 functions as a space where pain leads to “purification,” leaving behind a mind that no longer doubts or resists. In this, Orwell challenges the very notion of suffering as a path to enlightenment, whether in religious or political contexts.
🧭 Orwell’s Skepticism Toward Faith and Power - The novel reflects Orwell’s deep distrust of systems be they political or religious that demand absolute belief. His personal experiences with Catholicism lend authenticity to the critique, positioning 1984 as a cautionary tale against any ideology that seeks to erase individuality under the guise of righteousness.
Conclusion
By reinterpreting Orwell’s 1984 through the lens of religious critique, this analysis reveals new dimensions of the novel’s warning about power and submission. Orwell’s dystopia is not just a reflection of authoritarian rule but a meditation on faith, control, and the manipulation of belief. Big Brother is not simply a dictator; he is a god-like figure who demands total allegiance. The Party does not merely govern; it indoctrinates, punishes, and absolves, much like a religious institution.
In the end, 1984 warns of the dangers of absolute power whether wielded by a political regime or a religious authority. Through Winston’s ultimate capitulation, Orwell forces us to confront an unsettling truth: when belief is manufactured and obedience is sanctified, the human spirit is not just broken it is rewritten. The phrase “God is power” encapsulates this transformation, marking the moment where devotion and subjugation become indistinguishable.
References :
DoE-MKBU. (2023b, February 21). Critique of Religion | 1984 | George Orwell [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh41QghkCUA
DoE-MKBU. (2023c, February 21). God is Power | 1984 | George Orwell [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj29I_MU3cA
Orwell, G. (1984). 1984. In Planet eBook [Book]. https://www.planetebook.com/free-ebooks/1984.pdf
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