Sunday, May 16, 2010

“The proles are human beings . . . we are not human.” (165)

This statement brings into question what exactly makes us human. Through Winston, Orwell is promoting the idea that being human is more than just being flesh and blood with 23 chromosomes. Being human, it seems, requires independent thought and action. Because The Party is taking away this ability from its members, it is effectively rendering them inhuman. The proles lie outside this control and therefore are untouched by most of The Party's actions throughout Oceania. While The Party has stripped all that it is to be human from its members, the humanity of the proles has been left intact. They serve as a reminder to the reader that we must remain conscious beings, for it is the only thing that differentiates us from animals.

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