Outer Party
Encyclopedia
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. The Outer Party makes up approximately 13% of the population of Oceania.
The protagonist
of the novel, Winston Smith
, is a member of the Outer Party, as are most of the other characters, though he does interact with a few proles
(generally objects of contempt or disgust for Party members). The Outer Party represents the middle class
in Oceanic society, bureaucrats who do most of the actual work in the Party government and its four ministries. Its members can be identified by their blue jumpsuits.
From a certain viewpoint, the members of the Outer Party, and not the "proles", are seen as the worst off of the three classes
. They lack the relative personal freedom and simple pleasures of the proles, as they are under constant supervision by the Inner Party, and do not have the comforts of the Inner Party such as pleasant food, wine, cigarettes, coffee, tea, personal servants, convenient transportation, and more comfortable and spacious homes, as well as the right to turn their telescreen
s off. Outer Party members drink Victory Gin, as very little wine reaches them, and they have saccharine tablets
instead of sugar (though it is possible for Outer Party members to obtain these in small quantities via a black market that works by stealing from the Inner Party).
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
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...
.
The Party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
which controls Oceania is split into two parts: the 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...
and the Outer Party. The Outer Party makes up approximately 13% of the population of Oceania.
The protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of the novel, Winston Smith
Winston 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"...
, is a member of the Outer Party, as are most of the other characters, though he does interact with a few proles
Proles
Proles is a term used in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four to refer to the working class of Oceania ....
(generally objects of contempt or disgust for Party members). The Outer Party represents the middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
in Oceanic society, bureaucrats who do most of the actual work in the Party government and its four ministries. Its members can be identified by their blue jumpsuits.
From a certain viewpoint, the members of the Outer Party, and not the "proles", are seen as the worst off of the three classes
Social class
Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
. They lack the relative personal freedom and simple pleasures of the proles, as they are under constant supervision by the Inner Party, and do not have the comforts of the Inner Party such as pleasant food, wine, cigarettes, coffee, tea, personal servants, convenient transportation, and more comfortable and spacious homes, as well as the right to turn their telescreen
Telescreen
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 off. Outer Party members drink Victory Gin, as very little wine reaches them, and they have saccharine tablets
Sugar substitute
A sugar substitute is a food additive that duplicates the effect of sugar in taste, usually with less food energy. Some sugar substitutes are natural and some are synthetic. Those that are not natural are, in general, called artificial sweeteners....
instead of sugar (though it is possible for Outer Party members to obtain these in small quantities via a black market that works by stealing from the Inner Party).