Ignorance is Strength

In society today, education is a major factor in the lives of many Americans. In most cases, the higher the level of education a person has, the better their chance of succeeding in an environment they enjoy working in, and living an overall productive life. On the contrary, however, in George Orwell's 1984, the less the citizens of Oceania knew, the better. One of the three "truths" that the Party presented summed up the ways if …

…its control the whole time, and all his moves were being manipulated by traps set by the Thought Police. Winston Smith was hardly the model citizen, yet at the end he had become quite similar to his ex-wife, Katherine, who he had disliked in the beginning of the book because of her stupidity. In the end he too was an ignorant, Party-loving citizen, as stated in the end of the book. "He loved Big Brother." (245)