Point of View

[Yanksrock227]

We only see the book in the point of a major city. Now, if you think about it, most people in the world are not in most cities. How would they go abouts policing the outside or more country type of life-style?If there were to be a major revolution, it would be more likely to happen outside of the main cities, because they know that there are easier ways for the government to catch you within them.

If you lived in a more country-type of city, you would probably be not under Big Brother at all. You would not really get all of the propaganda, or advertisements. It just confuses me a little because one city is not the whole world.

[bazarov]

Proles are not free farmers who can or have to trade with Party; even in that situation everything would be taken from them.
Party members obviously live in cities. Proles work in factories and they are also in city; there is no village or countryside in way we see it today. Therefore, they cannot escape from propaganda or any other BB control or influence.

[The Atheist]

Quite right.

The proles need to be viewed not as a potential threat to the Party, or even as slaves, but rather a team of pack-horses, to whom the idea of rebellion just never exists. They are too apathetic, too downtrodden and too stupid to do anything else.

In a way, the Party is practising eugenics by default.

Take Parsons - he is a Party member because he is capable of doing a semi-responsible job. Proles are a level again below the "paralysing stupidity" of Parsons and there is just nobody with the ability to cause trouble and they're not going to get smarter.

Remember the saucepans!

:D

[thescholar]

I agree with Atheist. Remember; the book was originally titled "The Last Man in Europe," which is a direct allusion to the concept in book 3, that Winston is the only surviving man in Europe (by extension the world) capable of thought.

[bakestewah]

I don't think Orwell intended you to think about the rural areas compared to the cities. I think he just wanted you to see things that he saw, but in a more exteme way.

[bakestewah]

I agree with thescholar you do ahev to take that in consideration. That title "The Last Man in Europe" was directly related to Winston being the last man in Europe.