Inner Party
Encyclopedia
The Inner Party represents the oligarchical
political class in Oceania, and has its membership restricted to 6 million individuals (about 2% of the population). Inner Party members enjoy a quality of life that is much better than that of the Outer Party members and the proles
. For example, the telescreen
s (two-way televisions used for propaganda and surveillance purposes) in their homes can be turned off. This revelation may have been a method of deception utilised against Winston and Julia. It is unusual that a member of the inner party turn their telescreen off for more than 30 minutes anyway. Inner Party members also have access to spacious living quarters, personal servants (who could be prisoners of war, as O'Brien has a servant who appears to Winston when he visits O'Briens apartment, of Eurasian features), convenient transportation, and relatively pleasant food and drink (in contrast to the poor-quality and improperly manufactured Victory Gin, Victory Coffee and Victory Cigarettes of the Outer Party). Inner party members also have access to wine, as well as real coffee, tea and cigarettes with good tobacco. Inner party neighbourhoods are kept clean and fancy, compared to the Outer Party neighbourhoods.
Inner Party members are always identified by their black jumpsuits. Members are selected at a young age according to a battery of tests, not family heritage; any loyalty to anything other than Ingsoc
and Big Brother
, including the family, is strongly discouraged. Race is also of no importance in selecting members (Goldstein's book states that the likes of "...jews
, negro
es and pure-blooded Indians
..." are all represented in the Inner Party).
It is extremely important for the rest of the population to think that they live in good conditions compared to their relatives, and that everyone is equal. As a result, no Outer Party member or Prole may venture into the Inner Party neighbourhoods without a good pretext.
In the novel, O'Brien is the only character met who is a member of the Inner Party.
Goldstein's book
explains the rationale behind the class divisions in Oceania.
Oligarchy
Oligarchy is a form of power structure in which power effectively rests with an elite class distinguished by royalty, wealth, family ties, commercial, and/or military legitimacy...
political class in Oceania, and has its membership restricted to 6 million individuals (about 2% of the population). Inner Party members enjoy a quality of life that is much better than that of the Outer Party members and the proles
Proles
Proles is a term used in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four to refer to the working class of Oceania ....
. For example, the telescreen
Telescreen
Telescreens are most prominently featured in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, although notably they have an earlier appearance in the 1936 Charlie Chaplin film Modern Times...
s (two-way televisions used for propaganda and surveillance purposes) in their homes can be turned off. This revelation may have been a method of deception utilised against Winston and Julia. It is unusual that a member of the inner party turn their telescreen off for more than 30 minutes anyway. Inner Party members also have access to spacious living quarters, personal servants (who could be prisoners of war, as O'Brien has a servant who appears to Winston when he visits O'Briens apartment, of Eurasian features), convenient transportation, and relatively pleasant food and drink (in contrast to the poor-quality and improperly manufactured Victory Gin, Victory Coffee and Victory Cigarettes of the Outer Party). Inner party members also have access to wine, as well as real coffee, tea and cigarettes with good tobacco. Inner party neighbourhoods are kept clean and fancy, compared to the Outer Party neighbourhoods.
Inner Party members are always identified by their black jumpsuits. Members are selected at a young age according to a battery of tests, not family heritage; any loyalty to anything other than Ingsoc
Ingsoc
Ingsoc is the political ideology of the totalitarian government of Oceania in George Orwell's dystopian science fiction novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.-Fictionalised origin of Ingsoc:...
and Big Brother
Big Brother (1984)
Big Brother is a fictional character in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. He is the enigmatic dictator of Oceania, a totalitarian state taken to its utmost logical consequence – where the ruling Party wields total power for its own sake over the inhabitants.In the society that Orwell...
, including the family, is strongly discouraged. Race is also of no importance in selecting members (Goldstein's book states that the likes of "...jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, negro
Negro
The word Negro is used in the English-speaking world to refer to a person of black ancestry or appearance, whether of African descent or not...
es and pure-blooded Indians
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
..." are all represented in the Inner Party).
It is extremely important for the rest of the population to think that they live in good conditions compared to their relatives, and that everyone is equal. As a result, no Outer Party member or Prole may venture into the Inner Party neighbourhoods without a good pretext.
In the novel, O'Brien is the only character met who is a member of the Inner Party.
Goldstein's book
Goldstein's book
The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism, by Emmanuel Goldstein, is the fictional book that is a thematic and plot element integral to the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four , by George Orwell...
explains the rationale behind the class divisions in Oceania.