How can I write a thesis statement on the role of Big Brother within 1984? What effect does he have on Winston, and how is Winston's obsession...

To write a clear thesis statement about Big Brother, you need to understand the role Big Brother plays in the novel. George Orwell's 1984 never answers the question of whether or not Big Brother is a real person, or just a symbol created by the Party. No matter the truth, Big Brother plays a large role in the lives of Oceania's citizens, including Winston Smith. To the masses Big Brother is the head of state...

To write a clear thesis statement about Big Brother, you need to understand the role Big Brother plays in the novel. George Orwell's 1984 never answers the question of whether or not Big Brother is a real person, or just a symbol created by the Party. No matter the truth, Big Brother plays a large role in the lives of Oceania's citizens, including Winston Smith. To the masses Big Brother is the head of state and government. Countless posters proclaiming 'Big Brother Is Watching You' cover walls across Airstrip One. They are a reminder that the government is always watching, not through the posters themselves but through surveillance devices employed by the Thought Police.

For Winston Smith, his obsession with Big Brother begins with curiosity about the past, the hazy memories from his childhood when Big Brother did not exist. This search for information influences his decision to actively oppose Big Brother and the Party.

Winston's obsession with Big Brother leads to his obsession with O'Brien. Winston suspects that O'Brien is part of a resistance group against Big Brother. Believing his suspicions confirmed, Winston tells O'Brien that he wants to bring down Big Brother. In this way Winston's obsessions with Big Brother and O'Brien are similar because they influence Winston's key decisions in the novel.