UC PIQ'S
Alexa Villanueva Cuellar
AP English Literature & Composition
Mr. Cammarata, Period
2 December 2022
Big Brotherly Love
“When I look in the mirror/ I am looking at you/ When you breathe,/ My own lungs fill with air” (Kaur). Rupi Kaur, a famous modern poet, describes the most desired phenomenon of the human race: love. Intense emotional warmth and unparalleled intensity of devotion encompass love. The craving for love begins on the first day of life. Babies understand nothing about this potent emotion yet cry out for it upon their first breath. Love is essential to individualism and looks different to people across the globe; however, the feelings remain the same no matter the place. Even in the bleakest of society, love is longed for, as evident in the novel 1984 when all seems lost, but two hopeful citizens continue to love against all odds. This allows readers to explore the theme of love and the novel's overall message. By applying the Jungian lens to George Orwell’s 1984, the reader gains a better understanding of the relationship between the novel’s love story and the dire message.
The novel opens up on a cold April morning, and one is immediately introduced to the main character, Winston Smith. He resides in Oceana and is a low-ranking member of the Party, a political group that controls every aspect of the people. Individuality is highly looked down upon and considered illegal. The Party exercises firm control over its citizens by managing their language, thoughts, and privacy; simply having rebellious thoughts is illegal. Throughout London, large posters are plastered with the face of a mustached man known simply as “Big Brother” with the words “Big Brother is Watching You.” Winston works at the Ministry of Truth, where he edits history documents to fit the Party’s needs. He strongly opposes the Party and wishes to destabilize it. Winston is fascinated with a young woman named Julia. He begins an illicit relationship with her, hiding in a secret apartment and sharing their opinions about the government. They quickly discover that they have been monitored the entire time and are tortured into stating that they no longer oppose the Party and Big Brother.
Using the Jungian critical theory in 1984 reveals the character's deepest desires and motives for their actions. The Jungian theory is based on the ideas of Carl Jung, a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who looked up to the teachings of Sigmund Freud, a fellow psychoanalyst. Jung’s key ideas contributed to the foundation of psychology. The Jungian critical analysis states that individuation is the goal of all humans. Achieving a state in which the unconscious is recognized and integrated into the conscious mind is a significant focal point. This universal unconscious is expressed through art and symbolism. Jungian literary criticism centers on analyzing these archetypes in literature and written mythology. Anne Dobie states in her book, Theory into Practice, the human psyche is described as “having three parts: a personal conscious, a state of awareness of the present moment that, once it is past, becomes the individual's unique personal unconscious, a storehouse of knowledge, experiences, and images of the human race” (63). When approaching a literary work the main character is viewed as “real,” while other characters are viewed as sym
