Quote: (08-01-2016 06:51 PM)Hades Wrote:
Reality is a social construction, so even in the world of 1984 there were free men.
To clarify, 99% of the population was enslaved, but no doubt the high ranking communists enjoyed all the good things life had to offer.
In a world like that, not necessarily. If anything the higher ups would be more likely to forgo hedonistic pleasures in favor of concentrating more on gaining rank and power over their peers. Certainly they'd have better food, nicer homes etc., but most of them might not care so much about all that as they care about crushing their enemies and seeing them driven before them.
They let Winston have his affair in the book, until they try to join the resistance, and he's a party member whose indoctrination is much more important than that of the proles. The more powerless and inconsequential you are, the less the system cares about your personal life as long as you keep up appearances.
And people concentrated on breaking the rules as quietly as they can, don't have as much drive to try to advance in the party as a true believer.