Emotion Aspects in 1984

[thinkpink]

We've discussed a lot about the emotion not being present in this new society and I know they want to keep love out of the picture so they only focus on Big Brother.

What I don't get is why they can't show any emotion at all... even one tinsy facial expression. In part of the book Winston notices a "look" and gives one back and says he might get caught. How do these small expressions give away so much and cause so much danger?

[lexington]

I think it is kind of like how they disprove of marriage. I think showing emotions or facial expressions can single you out, and make you less united, less of a crowd. And if one person breaks from that crowd, then cant more than one? And then if that happens, they could form something that could harm Big Brothers Power. Its all about control, and how the government isn't willing to give up any power.

[HungryFish360]

I think there were a few different reasons why the citizens were not allowed to show any emotion. One was the need for conformity in Oceania's society. If someone displayed an emotion openly, they would be showing individuality. From there it would be only a few short steps to free thinking, and the realization of how corrupt Oceania and the other superstates were. Another reason is that people who were unable to contain their emotions might be considered too "weak" for the societal pressures,would once again not fit in, and informants or telescreens' constant watchfulness would cause them to be vaporized.

[nerdyarmadillo]

Well, I thought it may have been more along the lines of connecting emotions with opinions - If you can function enough to think for yourself, then you can get ideas, and the people's ideas are always bad for dictatorship. But the two emotions that people are allowed to feel are hatred and fear. Hatred channeled towards a scapegoat (Goldstein); fear of, well, multiple things, such as a terrorist attack, fear of the Thought Police...Everyone fears everyone else in this book.
And HungryFish360 had a good point, that someone unable to contain emotions is weak. It's screamed at you from every angle that things are controlled to the nth degree in Oceania, so of course emotions would be supressed, as unstable as they can make someone. Feelings are contagious - think of riots, the rage of a few people can catch, to infuriate and push many. Wars, fights, jokes...A person as an individual can be smart, but people in a group altogether become...A herd of 'brainwashed faithful', like sheep, to use an example from Animal Farm.