Original artwork, not a still
1984 ‧ 1949
If there is hope, it lies in the proles.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The only hope in the book sits with the people the Party ignores, ordinary workers who are watched least and trusted least. The line is quoted to argue that change comes from below, and, more bitterly, because the novel never shows the proles rising.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for 1984Show the scene
In Part One, Chapter 7, Winston writes the line in his diary while thinking about the proles, the eighty-five per cent of Oceania's population who live outside Party scrutiny. They sing, quarrel and gossip with a vitality the Party members have lost, yet he knows they will never rebel until they are conscious, and will not become conscious until they rebel. He keeps the sentence in mind through the book, and recalls it later in the diary.
Sources (1)
- Nineteen Eighty-Four, full text (Project Gutenberg Australia)Part One, Chapter 7, openingReference checked
Context reviewed
