Initially, I was confused by the references to Newspeak in the first chapter. Orwell first brings up Newspeak when introducing the reader to the Ministry of Truth by giving the Newspeak abbreviation, "Minitrue,"in addition to the Oldspeak name. In a footnote on that same page, Newspeak is defined as Oceania's official language and the reader is directed to the appendix for more information. Further down the page, Orwell offers the Newspeak versions of the three other ministries, without any further explanation of the language. These references to this unfamiliar language struck me as strange; they seemed to be added as a side note. Although they gave me more details about the society, they seemed somewhat irrelevant. Why would Orwell include these made-up words when they are in a language that I don't know and that the characters don't use frequently? It seemed contrary to everything I had been taught about novels; everything was supposed to be relevant to the plot and every detail that wasn't necessary shouldn't be included.
It wasn't until many pages later, in the fifth chapter, when Winston sits down to lunch with Syme, who is writing the eleventh edition of the Newspeak dictionary that Newspeak seemed significant. As Syme excitedly explains to Winston that he and his colleagues are "getting the language into it's final shape," it became clear that Newspeak is destined to become more common, and perhaps the sole language spoken in Oceania (50). Syme believes that the destruction of words is "beautiful" and that "narrow[ing] the range of thought" will eliminate thoughtcrime (51, 52). Although Syme certainly can't see it, and perhaps even Winston is not yet aware of the impending danger, it is evident to the modern day reader that these restrictions on language will bring about a serious threat to the already limited personal freedom of Oceania's citizens. Especially coming from a society where we take freedom of speech for granted, the thought of not having the vocabulary to express myself is alarming. Winston already feels alienated from nearly everyone because of his lack of support for The Party and the elimination of the words necessary to voice his opinions promises to further isolate and dissuade him.
This is an interesting parallel to The Handmaid's Tale (and maybe even The Road) in how it reflects on the significance and power of language. In Gilead, as in Oceania, citizens are restricted to certain phrases and thus they cannot express anything except compliance. In The Road, language has become irrelevant because of the devastated landscape. It's a powerful commentary on words, and how we take the luxury of "freedom of speech" so lightly today.
ReplyDelete