Big Brother (Nineteen Eighty-Four)

This article is about the novel character. For other uses, see Big Brother (disambiguation).

Big Brother
First appearanceNineteen Eighty-Four (1949)
Created byGeorge Orwell
In-universe information
GenderMale
OccupationLeader of Oceania

Big Brother is a character and symbol in George Orwell's dystopian 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. He is ostensibly the leader of Oceania, a totalitarian state wherein the ruling party, Ingsoc, wields total power "for its own sake" over the inhabitants.

The ubiquitous slogan "Big Brother is watching you" serves as a constant reminder that Party members are not entitled to privacy. They are subject to constant surveillance to ensure their ideological purity. This is primarily through omnipresent telescreens that provide two-way video communication and constantly blare propaganda.

This close surveillance does not extend to the "proles", who constitute the majority of Oceanic society. They are viewed as inferior beings whose ideas and opinions simply don't matter because they lack both the intelligence and conviction to recognize and assert their latent political power. (In British English, "prole" is an abbreviation of proletarian. It is often derogatory.[1])

"Big Brother" has become a synecdoche for abuse of government power, particularly in respect to civil liberties, often specifically related to mass surveillance and a lack of choice in society.[2]

  1. ^ "prole". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/OED/2009649889. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  2. ^ Strouf, Judie L. H. (2005). The literature teacher's book of lists. Jossey-Bass. p. 13. ISBN 0787975508.