Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
8th International Conference on Narrative and Language Studies , Trabzon, Türkiye, 2 - 03 Mayıs 2019, ss.208-212, (Tam Metin Bildiri)
In 1984, George Orwell creates a dystopian future where everybody is under heavy surveillance of the
totalitarian regime and the government which is also known as the “party”, controls every aspect of their
citizen’s life. One of the main purposes of the party is stripping people from their emotions and sexual instincts.
Consequently, dynamics of the Ingsoc do not allow the members of the party to have sexual relationships unless
they are married. Marriage is only approvable if the couple would prove beneficial to the party. On top of that,
the marriage system itself is based on the desensitization of the sexual pleasure and affection. For this reason,
members of the party can never fully satisfy their sexual urges whether they are married or not. As a result of
the restrictions that are imposed on their sexual instincts, party members tend to be more aggressive than normal.
Therefore, the aim of this study is identifying the manifestations of Sigmund Freud’s theories on life instincts
(Eros) and death instincts’(Thanatos) relationship with the suppressed sexuality in the novel. Through an
analysis of 1984, I argue that the suppression of the sexuality re-emerges in the form of aggression as a part of
the broken balance between Eros and Thanatos in the psyche of the people.