Saturday, March 28, 2009

Forging Life

“Comrade Ogilvy, who had never existed in the present, now existed in the past, and when once the act of forgery was forgotten, he would exist just as authentically, and upon the same evidence, as Charlemagne or Julius Caesar.” (48)

Charlemagne and Julius Caesar are both prominent military and political figures from history. Charlemagne was known for being emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, and Julius Caesar was emperor of Rome. Orwell compares Comrade Ogilvy to Charlemagne and Julius Caesar, two people who actually exist, to show how valid Ogilvy’s existence will become once Winston forges his past. This type of forgery, creating a past for something that never existed, is common in 1984. It shows the power that the Party has.

1 comment:

  1. How could that Charlemagne and Julius Caesar connection go even further? Why would Orwell pick these two particular figures?

    ReplyDelete