What is the goal of the Brotherhood?
Select one:
a. to overthrow the State.
b. to overthrow Eastasia.
c. to produce many books.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is: a. to overthrow the State.
Explanation:
In George Orwell’s 1984, the Brotherhood is a secret organization that opposes the Party (the totalitarian government in power) and seeks to bring about its downfall. The Brotherhood’s primary goal is to overthrow the State and dismantle the Party’s authoritarian control over society. The Party, led by Big Brother, exerts total control over all aspects of life, including the thoughts and actions of citizens, and seeks to eliminate any opposition or dissent.
The Brotherhood, led by the enigmatic figure known as “Emmanuel Goldstein,” is portrayed as an underground resistance group. Its ideology is based on the belief that the Party’s absolute power must be challenged, and that the people should be freed from the constant surveillance, brainwashing, and manipulation that the Party enforces. The Brotherhood seeks to achieve this by overthrowing the Party’s regime, not through open warfare but through more subtle means, including propaganda and covert actions.
Throughout the novel, Winston Smith, the protagonist, becomes involved with the Brotherhood and its cause. He initially believes that the Brotherhood’s mission is genuine, and he is drawn to their anti-Party stance. However, the Party uses the Brotherhood’s existence as a tool for manipulating citizens and maintaining its control. It is eventually revealed that the Brotherhood may be a fabrication created by the Party itself to identify and eliminate potential dissidents. Despite these complexities, the Brotherhood’s stated goal remains clear: to bring down the Party and overthrow the oppressive State.
To address the other options:
- b. To overthrow Eastasia: This is not the goal of the Brotherhood. Eastasia is another superpower in the novel, but the Brotherhood’s focus is solely on overthrowing the Party in Oceania.
- c. To produce many books: While the Brotherhood is involved in creating literature that critiques the Party, their goal is not merely to produce books but to actively overthrow the Party’s regime and its control over Oceania.