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In the world of 1984, there’s no such thing as truth. Facts aren’t facts, except for when they are. And lies, well, they manage to be both lies and truth at the same time. Feeling confused? Good. That means you’re ready to tackle Orwell’s second theme.

Video Transcription:

Truth. It’s easy to take for granted, right? Facts are facts. Period. But not in the chilling world of 1984. Consider Orwell’s second theme a wake-up call.

In one of the most horrifying sections of 1984, Winston is tortured by O’Brien into accepting that 2 + 2 = 5.

At first, Winston rebels. Even when O’Brien torments him with excruciating pain, Winston continues to rebel. No one can make 2 + 2 = 5, can they?

Oh, in the world of 1984 they can. Because eventually O’Brien uses one of his maniacal machines to manipulate Winston’s mind. And when Winston comes to, he sees, for the first time, the possibility of 2 + 2 equaling 5.

You might laugh at that because the thought of messing with the laws of mathematics seems beyond absurd. But Orwell picks such an extreme example for a reason. He wants his audience to recognize that truth is truth … only insofar as we defend it. That’s his theme.

We know, of course, that O’Brien can’t change the laws of math. What he does is he breaks down Winston’s ability to think those laws through fearlessly. He crushes Winston’s ability to defend the truth.

A warning about the side effects of totalitarianism? Definitely. But also a call for us to stand up for truth, for what we believe in, … or else.