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Big Brother
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Big Brother

fictional character
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Article History

Big Brother, fictional character, the dictator of the totalitarian empire of Oceania in the novel Nineteen Eighty-four (1949) by George Orwell. Though Big Brother does not appear directly in the story, his presence permeates Oceania’s bleak society. Ubiquitous posters displaying his photograph feature the slogan “Big Brother is watching you”; hidden devices in every room enable his Thought Police to monitor the activities of all citizens. Oceania’s constant, vicious wars, its propagandistic language (Newspeak), and its Anti-Sex League are the most blatant manifestations of his control. His public personality is a mixture of benevolence, charisma, brutal militarism, and insinuation.

Orwell’s satiric portrait of Big Brother anticipated with alarming accuracy the characteristics of a number of real-life 20th-century despots. The term Big Brother has come to signify government control of and intrusion into individual lives.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.