Class Ties: The Dealings of Human Nature Depicted through Social Classes in 1984 Zachary Zill

In George Orwell's 1984, the differences and relationships between the proles, the Outer Party, and the Inner Party reflect different aspects of human nature and the various levels of the human psyche. The most base, savage level of humanity is portrayed through the proles, as they are controlled by nothing more than animalistic instincts. By demonstrating their subjugation in the society of 1984, Orwell maintains that the personality will try to suppress these instinctual forces despite the immense power they wield. The Outer Party represents the malleability of human nature, the idea that social and familial forces ultimately shape a large part of every individual's character. As in the novel, this level is, in a sense, stuck between the higher planes of personality and those of the untamed human spirit. These higher planes of personality are exemplified by the Inner Party and its absolute control over matter, reality, and even over other human minds and the minds of its own members. With this group, Orwell intends to characterize the immense power of the human mind over all the other levels of personality. Through each of these three groups, Orwell depicts certain aspects of human nature, and he uses the...