1984 #4

“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows” (81).

                Out of context this statement means absolutely nothing. Two plus two does make four, and what does that have to do with freedom? That is where the complexity of this society lies. Things that people today consider to be evident, things they take for granted, are not clearly given to the people of Oceania. The government has the ability to distort even simple logic such as basic arithmetic and then completely rewrite the system. Worst of all, the people are forced to accept this skewed version of reality. Winston states, “the heresy of heresies was common sense” (80). For anyone to even suggest that two plus two must obviously be four was grounds for vaporization. Moreover, this omnipotent government does not only stifle the people’s ability to think freely; it drives them to doubt everything they once knew so positively. They start to question the idea of two plus two. Maybe it is five. What does the word “two” even mean? Such uncertainty drains the people of Oceania of their freedom. They have lost the ability to form thoughts clearly, and with that lost, what freedom can they really say they have. The body follows the mind. With no control over one’s mind, there is no control over one self. The idea of two plus two making four is trivial, but in the case of this society, it is more important than could ever be imagined.