Pursuit And Disillusion-A Maslovian Study On Winston’s Existential Predicament In Nineteen Eighty-Four

Nineteen Eighty-Four is the masterpiece of George Orwell, a famous sarcastic writer in England. In this novel, Orwell describes a suffocating and despairing totalitarian society-Oceania. In this society, the "Big Brother" as the representative of the Party, in order to maintain its absolute rule, tries to make the whole society under the control of the totalitarianism. Extreme shortage of material conditions make a great limitation to people’s elaborative faculty; ubiquitous telescreens are monitoring people’s behaviors and thoughts; people’s emotions are also restrained. Marriages and family lives become abnormal. In addition to the love for the "Big Brother", all other emotions are not allowed to exist. Continuous distorted history and facts mislead people’s correct understanding of the world. Although Winston, the hero in the novel, pursues normal love and belongingness needs and cognitive needs with great courage, his pursuit is doomed to fail under the oppression of totalitarianism. Disillusion of Winston’s pursuit shows the devastation of humanity in this totalitarian society. In a sick society, except the life itself, any other normal needs are prohibited. Social environment makes a great limitation to the normal development of human. Therefore, this thesis tries to interpret the disillusion Winston’s pursuit from the perspective of Maslow’s need hierarchy theory to illustrate rational individual’s existential predicament in a totalitarian country.This paper is divided into five parts. The first chapter gives a brief introduction to George Orwell, his main works and the literary review part which includes the latest findings from both abroad and at home as well as the significance of this thesis. The second chapter is the theory foundation, including a general description of humanistic psychology, Maslow’s need hierarchy theory and the importance of social environment towards human. The third chapter describes Winston’s pursuit of physiological needs, belongingness and love needs and cognitive needs in this depressed totalitarian society. The fourth chapter shows the disillusion of Winston’s pursuit. Confronting with the threat of both life and spirit, he abandons his persistence in love and truth and dies with the love for the Big Brother in the end. The last chapter is the conclusion part. By depicting the disillusion of Winston’s pursuit and death, this thesis attempts to illustrate that totalitarianism or a totalitarian society is not good for the development of human being. A democratic society which builds on democracy should be a better choice to promote man’s comprehensive development and speed up the formation of a harmonious society.