1984 is a George Orwell novel, which centers on Winston Smith, a lonely man who is living in what used to be known as London. The novel 1984 is based upon what could happen in an extreme totalitarian government. In 1984, a world is created in which the government controls and monitors everything from what jobs people to hold, to the thoughts that people our allowed to think. 1984 is set in the future, and is used to convey a warning of what could happen in the near future if a totalitarian government was allowed to run rampant in the western world. .
In 1984, Orwell introduces the protagonist, Winston Smith as a lonely man whose life consists of very little excitement. Smith is a member of the Party that rules over the state of Oceania and is headed by the dictator Big Brother. The Party came to power after the revolution, and is now in control of every aspect of human life in Oceania. While Smith is a member of the Party, he is not completely comfortable with the society created by Big Brother's dictatorship. Smith's personal feelings and beliefs clash heavily with the values of the Party and society created by Big Brother. .
Orwell creates tension and conflict within the story simply through introducing the ideas of the Party and Big Brother in the form of the antagonist, O'Brien. This ends the exposition of the novel and begins the rise in action. Conflict is created by Orwell within Winston Smith. Smith has a problem with accepting the society the Party has created and the foundations of the Party: hate, suspicion, and fear. Smith is not comfortable with the controls of individual freedom and the controls placed on every other aspect of human nature. This initial conflict is man vs. self, due to the fact that Smith must decide whether to follow the rules and regulations of the Party or to rebel against the Party and follow what is right in his heart and mind.
Smith chooses to do both, which puts in a situation where he is forced to live two separate lives.