Proles
Encyclopedia
Proles is a term used in George Orwell
's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four
to refer to the working class of Oceania (i.e. the proletariat
).
In the novel, the society of Oceania is divided into 3 distinct classes: Inner Party
, Outer Party
, and proles (upper, middle, and lower classes, respectively). The proles constitute 85% of the population. They receive little education, work at jobs in which tough physical labour is the norm, live in poverty (but qualitatively richer than the Outer Party members with regard to certain freedoms inherent to their relative anonymity), and usually die by the age of sixty.
s in both private and public places. By contrast, prole quarters are more or less free of telescreens, mostly because proles are not expected to understand that they are being exploited by the Party as a source of cheap labour and are unable or unwilling to organize resistance. Their functions are simple: work and breed. They care little about anything but home and family, neighbour quarrels, films and football, beer and lottery tickets. They are not required to express support for the Party, except for a mild form of patriotism. The Party creates meaningless songs, novels, even pornography for the proles (all written by machines, except pornography, which is compiled by members of the Outer Party and accessible only to party members working in Pornosec). Proles do not wear a uniform, can use cosmetics and have a relatively free internal market economy. Proles also have free sex lives, uninterrupted by the Party, and divorce is permitted. Despite the personal freedoms enjoyed by the Proles, the Thought Police moves among them, spreading false rumours and marking down and eliminating any individuals deemed capable of causing trouble. The Prole quarters consist of rundown apartment buildings, shops, and pubs. Though it is nominally illegal for Outer Party members to trade with proles, all do it because they are the only source for certain minor necessities (the novel mentions shoelaces and razor blades as examples).
, the protagonist, and his realization that proles are incapable of such an act. In Winston's words, “proles remained human”, i.e., they preserve the essence of life, human emotions (which Party members must avoid under the constant surveillance of telescreens), and even the English language
(Oldspeak
). However, the hope of liberation through the proles clashes with O'Brien’s view that the proles can never revolt because they would never have the need to do so. The novel also appears to support the view that proles are incapable of organizing (or unwilling to organize) a revolution. It is noted that any prole who exhibits tendencies towards rabble-rousing or independent thought is simply marked down by the Thought Police
to be killed, making revolution from that group even more unlikely. It is not suggested by anyone in the novel that the Party could collapse by itself. It has too tight control over the Party members who have already lost their human feelings.
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...
to refer to the working class of Oceania (i.e. the proletariat
Proletariat
The proletariat is a term used to identify a lower social class, usually the working class; a member of such a class is proletarian...
).
In the novel, the society of Oceania is divided into 3 distinct classes: Inner Party
Inner Party
The Inner Party represents the oligarchical political class in Oceania, and has its membership restricted to 6 million individuals . Inner Party members enjoy a quality of life that is much better than that of the Outer Party members and the proles...
, Outer Party
Outer Party
The Outer Party is a fictional social stratum from the George Orwell novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four.The Party which controls Oceania is split into two parts: the Inner Party and the Outer Party...
, and proles (upper, middle, and lower classes, respectively). The proles constitute 85% of the population. They receive little education, work at jobs in which tough physical labour is the norm, live in poverty (but qualitatively richer than the Outer Party members with regard to certain freedoms inherent to their relative anonymity), and usually die by the age of sixty.
Control by The Party
The Party's slogan in regard to proles is: "Proles and animals are free." This is a sharp contrast to the control of the members of Inner and Outer Parties. The Party members are constantly monitored by telescreenTelescreen
Telescreens are most prominently featured in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, although notably they have an earlier appearance in the 1936 Charlie Chaplin film Modern Times...
s in both private and public places. By contrast, prole quarters are more or less free of telescreens, mostly because proles are not expected to understand that they are being exploited by the Party as a source of cheap labour and are unable or unwilling to organize resistance. Their functions are simple: work and breed. They care little about anything but home and family, neighbour quarrels, films and football, beer and lottery tickets. They are not required to express support for the Party, except for a mild form of patriotism. The Party creates meaningless songs, novels, even pornography for the proles (all written by machines, except pornography, which is compiled by members of the Outer Party and accessible only to party members working in Pornosec). Proles do not wear a uniform, can use cosmetics and have a relatively free internal market economy. Proles also have free sex lives, uninterrupted by the Party, and divorce is permitted. Despite the personal freedoms enjoyed by the Proles, the Thought Police moves among them, spreading false rumours and marking down and eliminating any individuals deemed capable of causing trouble. The Prole quarters consist of rundown apartment buildings, shops, and pubs. Though it is nominally illegal for Outer Party members to trade with proles, all do it because they are the only source for certain minor necessities (the novel mentions shoelaces and razor blades as examples).
Proles as the only hope
One of the recurring themes in the novel is if proles revolted they could establish a better world. It's a struggle between a wild hope carried by Winston SmithWinston Smith
Winston Smith is a fictional character and the protagonist of George Orwell's 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. The character was employed by Orwell as an everyman in the setting of the novel, a "central eye ... [the reader] can readily identify with"...
, the protagonist, and his realization that proles are incapable of such an act. In Winston's words, “proles remained human”, i.e., they preserve the essence of life, human emotions (which Party members must avoid under the constant surveillance of telescreens), and even the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
(Oldspeak
Newspeak
Newspeak is a fictional language in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. In the novel, it refers to the deliberately impoverished language promoted by the state. Orwell included an essay about it in the form of an appendix in which the basic principles of the language are explained...
). However, the hope of liberation through the proles clashes with O'Brien’s view that the proles can never revolt because they would never have the need to do so. The novel also appears to support the view that proles are incapable of organizing (or unwilling to organize) a revolution. It is noted that any prole who exhibits tendencies towards rabble-rousing or independent thought is simply marked down by the Thought Police
Thought Police
The Thought Police is the secret police of Oceania in George Orwell's dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.It is the job of the Thought Police to uncover and punish thoughtcrime and thought-criminals, using psychology and omnipresent surveillance from telescreens to monitor, search, find and kill...
to be killed, making revolution from that group even more unlikely. It is not suggested by anyone in the novel that the Party could collapse by itself. It has too tight control over the Party members who have already lost their human feelings.