Big Brother from 1984 has become ubiquitous in pop culture and political discourse.
Big Brother represents Orwell’s perspective on a surveillance society, the manipulation of truth, and the nuances of authoritarian control.
Even today, these quotes echo the lessons ingrained elaborately in the fabric of 1984.
1984 Big Brother Description
In George Orwell’s dystopian novel “1984”, Big Brother symbolizes a totalitarian regime’s constant surveillance over its citizenry.
It’s brought to life vividly through the ubiquitous posters with enormous faces, contrived so the eyes seem to follow the observer dynamically. It’s accompanied by the chilling phrase, “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU.”
This unnerving presence embodies the omnipotent authority of the state, epitomizing a society marked by fear and self-censorship, where “every sound you made was overheard, and… every movement was scrutinized.”
Its intimidating influence is such that citizens live in perennial paranoia of being watched, and it seems inescapable – “Always eyes watching you and the voice enveloping you. Asleep or awake, indoors or outdoors… no escape.”
Big Brother is also depicted as “infallible and all-powerful,” its far-reaching influence rewriting the past and orchestrating every success and every scientific discovery to retain control and suppress independent thought.
Orwell’s chilling representation of Big Brother paints a grim picture of the oppressive nature of totalitarian governments, prompting readers to contemplate the importance of individual freedom and privacy.
1984 Big Brother Quotes With Page Numbers
“The poster with the enormous face gazed from the wall. It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move.”
~George Orwell, 1984, The Narrator about Big Brother, Part One, Chapter 1, Pages 1, 2
“BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU.”
~George Orwell, 1984, A sign with eyes that follow you, Part One, Chapter 1, Page 2
“There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guess work. It was conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. But at any rate they could plug in your wire whenever they wanted to. You had to live–did live, from habit that became instinct–in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement was scrutinized.”
~George Orwell, 1984, The Narrator about Big Brother, Part One, Chapter 1, Page 3
“DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER.”
~George Orwell, 1984, Words written by Winston Smith, Part One, Chapter 1, Page 18
“Always eyes watching you and the voice enveloping you. Asleep or awake, indoors or out of doors, in the bath or bed- no escape. Nothing was your own except the few cubic centimeters in your skull.”
~George Orwell, 1984, The Narrator about Big Brother, Part One, Chapter 2, Page 27
“To the future or to the past, to a time when thought is free, when men are different from one another and do not live alone— to a time when truth exists and what is done cannot be undone: From the age of uniformity, from the age of solitude, from the age of Big Brother, from the age of doublethink — greetings!”
~George Orwell, 1984, From Winston’s jounral, Part One, Chapter 2, Page 28
“With its grace and carelessness it seemed to annihilate a whole culture, a whole system of thought, as though Big Brother and the Party and the Thought Police could all be swept into nothingness by a single splendid movement of the arm.”
~George Orwell, 1984, The Narrator about Big Brother, Part One, Chapter 3, Page 31
“If the Party could thrust its hand into the past and say of this or that event, it never happened—that, surely, was more terrifying than mere torture and death.”
~George Orwell, 1984, The Narrator about Big Brother, Part One, Chapter 3, Page 34
“In the Party histories, of course, Big Brother figured as the leader and guardian of the Revolution since its very earliest days. His exploits had been gradually pushed backwards in time until already they extended into the fabulous world of the forties and the thirties.”
~George Orwell, 1984, The Narrator about Big Brother, Part One, Chapter 3, Page 36
“Winston thought for a moment, then pulled the speakwrite towards him and began dictating in Big Brother’s familiar style: a style at once military and pedantic, and, because of a trick of asking questions and then promptly answering them…easy to imitate.”
~George Orwell, 1984, The Narrator about Winston Smith and Big Brother, Part One, Chapter 4, Page 46
“The two aims of the Party are to conquer the whole surface of the earth and to extinguish once and for all the possiblity of independent thought. There are therefore two great problems which the Party is concerned to solve. One is how to discover against his will what another human being is thinking and the other is how to kill several hundred million people in a few seconds without giving warning beforehand.”
~George Orwell, 1984, The Narrator about Big Brother, Part Two, Chapter 8, Page 193
“For the first time he perceived that if you want to keep a secret you must also hide it from yourself.”
~George Orwell, 1984, The Narrator about Winston Smith and Big Brother, Part Two, Chapter 8, Page 201
“At the apex of the pyramid comes Big Brother. Big Brother is infallible and all-powerful. Every success, every achievement, every victory, every scientific discovery, all knowledge, all wisdom, all happiness, all virtue, are held to issue directly from his leadership and inspiration.”
~George Orwell, 1984, The Narrator about Big Brother, Part Two, Chapter 9, Page 208
“Oceanic society rests ultimately on the belief that Big Brother is omnipotent and that the Party is infallible. But since in reality Big Brother is not omnipotent and the party is not infallible, there is need for an unwearying, moment-to-moment flexibility in the treatment of facts. The keyword here is BLACKWHITE. Like so many Newspeak words, this word has two mutually contradictory meanings. Applied to an opponent, it means the habit of impudently claiming that black is white, in contradiction of the plain facts. Applied to a Party member, it means a loyal willingness to say that black is white when Party discipline demands this. But it means also the ability to BELIEVE that black is white, and more, to KNOW that black is white, and to forget that one has ever believed the contrary.”
~George Orwell, 1984, The Narrator about Big Brother, Part Two, Chapter 9, Page 212
“There was nothing left in them except sorrow for what they had done, and love of Big Brother. It was touching to see how they loved him. They begged to be shot quickly, so that they could die while their minds were still clean.”
~George Orwell, 1984, O’Brien about Big Brother, Part Three, Chapter 2, Page 255
“Never again will you be capable of ordinary human feeling. Everything will be dead inside you. Never again will you be capable of love, or friendship, or joy of living, or laughter, or curiosity, or courage, or integrity. You will be hollow. We shall squeeze you empty, and then we shall fill you with ourselves.”
~George Orwell, 1984, O’Brien about Big Brother, Part Three, Chapter 2, Page 256
“‘Does Big Brother exist?’
‘Of course he exists. The Party exists. Big Brother if the embodiment of the Party.’
‘Does he exist like you or me?’
‘You do not exist’, said O’Brien.”
~George Orwell, 1984, Winston Smith and O’Brien about Big Brother, Part Three, Chapter 2, Page 259
“There will be no love, except the love of Big Brother. . . . Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face forever. Big Brother is watching you.”
~George Orwell, 1984, The Narrator about Big Brother, Part 3, Chapter 3, Page 267
“To die hating them, that was freedom.”
~George Orwell, 1984, Winston Smith about Big Brother, Part Three, Chapter 4, Page 281
“You hate him. Good. Then the time has come for you to take the last step. You must love Big Brother. It is not enough to obey him: you must love him.”
~George Orwell, 1984, O’Brien to Winston about Big Brother, Part Three, Chapter 4, Page 282
“He examined the chess problem and set out the pieces. It was a tricky ending, involving a couple of knights.
‘White to play and mate in two moves.’
Winston looked up at the portrait of Big Brother. White always mates, he thought with a sort of cloudy mysticism. Always, without exception, it is so arranged. In no chess problem since the beginning of the world has black ever won.
Did it not symbolize the eternal, unvarying triumph of Good over Evil? The huge face gazed back at him, full of calm power. White always mates.”
~George Orwell, 1984, The Narrator about Winston and Big Brother, Part Three, Chapter 6, Page 289
“He gazed up at the enormous face. Forty years it had taken him to learn what kind of smile was hidden beneath the dark mustache. O cruel, needless misunderstanding! O stubborn, self-willed exile from the loving breast! Two gin-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.”
~George Orwell, 1984, The Narrator about Winston and Big Brother, Part Three, Chapter 6, Page 297-98
What quotes from 1984 describe Big Brother?
“In the Party histories, of course, Big Brother figured as the leader and guardian of the Revolution since its very earliest days. His exploits had been gradually pushed backwards in time until already they extended into the fabulous world of the forties and the thirties.”
~George Orwell, 1984, The Narrator about Big Brother, Chapter 3, Page 36
“At the apex of the pyramid comes Big Brother. Big Brother is infallible and all-powerful. Every success, every achievement, every victory, every scientific discovery, all knowledge, all wisdom, all happiness, all virtue, are held to issue directly from his leadership and inspiration.”
~George Orwell, 1984, The Narrator about Big Brother, Chapter 6, Page 208
What is the slogan of the Big Brother?
Big Brother’s slogan is “Big Brother is watching you.” This phrase is an ever-present reminder of the surveillance and control Big Brother has over the citizens of Oceania in the novel.
What does the Big Brother symbolize in 1984?
In George Orwell’s “1984,” Big Brother symbolizes the absolute authority and omnipresence of a dystopian totalitarian regime, embodying the abuse of power, communism, and fascism, comparable to real-life dictatorships like Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia.
This character serves as a symbolic repository for all the achievements credited to the Party, rendering him infallible and invincible in the eyes of the population.
Moreover, Big Brother represents dictatorship and government intrusion into civil liberties, becoming a powerful symbol beyond the realms of the novel, reflecting Orwell’s warnings about the dangers of oppressive governments.
Is Big Brother evil in 1984?
In George Orwell’s 1984, Big Brother is depicted as a dominating and all-powerful figure who represents the oppressive control of the government over the populace.
While labeling Big Brother as “evil” could be subjective, his role is undoubtedly oppressive, symbolized by constant surveillance, totalitarian rule, and the stringent enforcement of loyalty from every citizen.
Many readers might interpret Big Brother as a manifestation of evil due to his association with fear, coercion, and control.
Why is Big Brother called Big Brother?
The term ‘Big Brother’ is applied in George Orwell’s novel to symbolize omniscient governmental power. It signifies a figure of absolute control and surveillance, embodying the totalitarian Party’s efforts to observe and regulate the affairs of Oceania’s citizens constantly.
The figure is named to represent a caring, watchful authority figure masking the oppressive reality of the surveillance state.