1984 #10

"Cut off from contact with the outer world, and with the past, the citizen of Oceania is like a man in interstellar space, who has no way of knowing which direction is up and which is down" (Orwell 198). Because of the war, and the Party in general, the people of Oceania remain completely cut off from learning of any other way of life. Many do not know whether things such as constant war are considered common, everyday life, or if the war should be coming to an end somewhere in the near future. Because of how successful Big Brother has been in completely "brainwashing" some of the citizens of Oceania, it has come to the point of many not even being sure whether what the Party is doing is right or wrong, which is what is meant by saying they have "no way of knowing which direction is up and which is down". The people of Oceania are becoming unable to think for themselves, and Winston is being forced to watch the entire process take place before his own two eyes.