Are we Proles?

One of the most interesting aspects of George Orwell's 1984 in my opinion is the role of the Proles, the everyday people at the bottom of the social class as depicted in the image below:

Spearheading the camaraderie, if I may use the term popularized by the figure head himself, is Big Brother. As the leader of the entire society, Big Brother is at the top of the social food-chain; a single figure running the lives of what is assumed to be hundreds of thousands of other people. Next up is the Inner and Outer Party, the rewarded servants of Big Brother who spend day in and day out carrying out his every command. Then, there are the Proles, the vast majority of the population. Why are they significant to Oceania's society?

Functioning as a single character, the Proles are extremely under-developed. Not once is a Prole singled out as an individual with thoughts or goals, they are an unacknowledged, mindless mass in the grand scheme of things. If this is so, however, why is it that Winston has such a livid envy for them? Why is it that they are seen as "The only free human beings" by Winston?

The answer would be subjective to the reader. As ignorant, ill-educated workers, the Proles are left in the dark about much of the secrecy and sinister activity around them; they know little of the horrors committed daily by their social superiors and they are only concerned with their very, very small world. However, ignorance truly is bliss as it seems because the Proles are happy; something Winston strives for. Being a member of the Outer-Party himself, Winston is subjected to intense scrutiny and constant stress. He is always being watched, always being judged, and most importantly, always being forced to pretend to be someone he's not. He envies the Proles because he sees them as holding the real power, and as he states "If there was hope, it lay in the proles. You had to cling on to that." (108).

How is it that ignorant, primitive, lowly beings can invoke hope in a member of the top 15% of the entire society? Simple. With large numbers lies safety as well as power. Without living in constant fear of being vaporized, the proles are allowed to feel happy and free, and with a little motivation, the proles could easily over-come their oppressive government in one massive organized surge. However, as Winston explains, they just don't know how. They are brain-washed into believing in their own freedom, they have absolutely no idea just how controlled their environment is. They have no idea of the strings tying them to the puppeteer that is Big Brother, and as a result, have no desire what so ever of an insurgence.

As a member of the social majority of our population today, this particular situation struck a chord deep within myself. Who's to say that we are not living in a prole-like society today, completely unaware of the atrocities committed around us everyday? Who's to say that our lives aren't being oppressed by our mental superiors right now? Am I living the pointless life of a prole? Are you? And if so, I wonder if it is time for our collective intelligence to strike against out against our oppressors - whoever they might be.