Plot Overview

1984 was written by George Orwell in 1949, as a statement against the totalitarian governmental system. Toletarianism is a dictatorship which requires complete subservience to the state. The main character, Winston Smith, is a member of the ruling party in London; though he does not hold a high rank on the royal ladder, and he disagrees with the extreme measures that the government / ruling party have taken to gain absolute control. There are telescreens everywhere-- all over the city, and even inside of his own home-- that overlook Winston's (as well as everyone else in society) actions and thoughts. Thought police are present, who regulate thought crimes: simply thinking rebellious thoughts was punishable by extreme action. Winston Smith illegally purchases a diary to record his forbidden thoughts into: an action punishable by death. The party has even invented a new language, Newspeak, which tries to thwart political rebellion by eliminating all words in existence that relate to it.
Winston Smith is also interested in a powerful party member, O'Brien, because he believes he is a member of The Brotherhood. The Brotherhood is the only underground, legendary society that is conspiring to overthrow the totalitarian government. Winston also works in the Ministry of Truth, altering historical records to meet the standards of the strictly regulatory ruling party. Through this, he meets a beautiful co-worker named Julia. In time, they reveal their feelings for each other (sexual desire is strictly forbidden), and they begin a secret affair-- renting a room above the secondhand store that Winston originally bought his diary from.
Eventually, O'Brian summons Winston to come and see him. It turns out that the owner of the store was an undercover thought police officer, and he tactfully lured Winston into a trick that would reveal his devious behavior. He is tortured by O'Brian through his worst fear: rats. A cage of rats was strapped over Winston's head as a torture method; if he did not tell O'Brian what he wanted to hear, the rats would eat his face. Winston breaks under the pressure and pleads to have Julia tortured instead of himself.
After Winston gave up Julia under the pressure of O'Brian's dominance, he lost all feelings for her. He was sent back into the totalitarian world, emotionally brainwashed, and he learned to accept the constricted way of life that the government set in place, rather than resisting it.