When finished the reading of 1984 by George Orwell, I felt a shiver down my spine. This is an anti-Utopia novel written in 1948, which is a strong criticism of Totalitarianism. This novel keenly calls for freedom. As mentioned in the New York Times, that one more person reads Orwell means one more guarantee for freedom.“Where there are how many creatures in the universe, there are how many centers. Each of us is a center. Therefore, when a hoarse voice says you are captured, the world will coll apse. ” These words from Solzhenitsyn come to my mind when I read Winston and Julia were captured in Charrington cabin. In 1984,the author creates a Totalitarian society. The world is occupied by three super powers, i.e. Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia. The tree powers are frequently in war. Their national structure is totally destroyed. Instead, a high degree of Totalitarianism rules over the nation. History, language, etc are falsified to control people’s thought. “Telescreens” are employed to supervise pe ople’s behavior. All the society looks more like a prison. Winston, from the Oceania, originally is a person with independent thinking. Unfortunately, he was captured by the “thought police” O’ Brien and was brainwashed to believe that two plus two equals five. And he finally yielded to the dictator Big Brother. This proves what said by Winston that “thought crime doesn’t lead to death. Instead, itself is death.” If Winston insists on his independent thought, he has to die; if Winston abandons his independent thought, he is none other than a walking dead.The pursuit for freedom is human’s nature as we are born. “Some birds aren't meant to be caged, that's all. Their feathers are just too bright.” In the film The Shawshank Redemption, Andy, who was set up to prison, spent 19 years to dig a tunnel and succeeded in breaking out of the prison. What Andy yearns for is freedom, a free body exactly. While in 1984, the freedom of Winston refers to the freedom of body and thought. In Oceania, there is “telescreens” to supervise people’s body. There is also “doublethink” to occupy people’s thought. “Doublethink” means there are two opposite thoughts within one mind, which are both acceptable. There is a case in point in 1984. When Oceania fights against Eurasia, the troops turn to attack without any doubt Eastasia after they heard from the frontline that their enemy is Eastasia rather than Eurasia. Hence, all the materials publicizing the war between Oceania and Eurasia are out of date all of sudden. These materials are replaced in a lightning speed. On the one hand, people are delicately devising lies. On the other hand, they truly believe in these lies. What is truth? Truth may be lies packaged by lies or be the deformed memories.It is quite interesting that those imprisoned never eve think of breaking out. Is it because they have no idea that they are in prison? The answer is no. Actually, the smarter people are, the more mediocre their thought may be. “Thought Police” O’ Brien is a good example. He knows clearly that the society is retrogressing. His choice is to be a screw in the machine-like system full of lies. Thus, he has to be under supervision of the Big Brother. O’ Brien cannot be regarded as an “Evil of banality” proposed by Hannah Arendt, but a sensib le devil. As pursuit for freedom is our nature, why O’ Brien gives up his nature? Maybe Fromm can give us an answer.Fromm analyzes the reason why Nazi can seize the Germany in his work Escape from Freedom. In his opinion, those who escape are both sadist and masochist. On the one hand, they want to control everything, to destroy everything. On the other hand, in their sub-consciousness, they convert the social conventions into their own experience to avoid free thinking and to get away from anxiety. O’ Br ien may be in this way. The freedom per his understanding means not only the rule over himself, but also the rule over the others. However, this kind of freedom is analienation of liberty and is also a disrespect. Meanwhile, he internalized the “truth” pu blicizing in the Totalitarian society as his own thought. He puts himself in a morbid system and becomes part of the overall environment. He is bound by the environment. He is also dependant on the environment. He even enjoys the environment. O’ Brien is s imilar to Brooks Hatlen in the film of The Shawshank Redemption. Brooks is not willing to leave prison after his 50 years’ stay. Because once he leaves prison, what he feels is not freedom but the terror of being free. What freedom means to Brooks is the loss of his position in prison. Out of prison, there is nothing for him to count on. What is left is only his lonely heart and mind. His fear for freedom causes his suicide.Freedom imprisoned in a cell is not a real one. Could a bird be free just because it is allowed to sing in a cage? Obviously not. Freedom under manipulation is an extreme freedom. A circle in a blank paper may intersect with each other as long as they keep enlarging. Actually, an uninterrupted freedom doesn’t exist. This reflects the true meaning of the last words by Mrs. Ronald, i.e. freedom, that crimes are committed in thy name. Freedom full of sense of slavery is a Cynicism freedom. As said by the Big Brother “Freedom is slavery”, human would be no more than the “existence under the level biological vegetable” said by Havel, if everyone yields to the supervision and abandons their ability to think.“We will meet in a place without darkness.” This is the promise that O’ Brien made for Winston. In the end of the novel, O’ Brien fulfills this promise. Winston becomes a total “free person in a cell” due to the reformation of O’ Brien. Winston is grateful to O’ Brien for giving him the freedom as big as the bottom of a well. The tragedy in 1984 of is worth contemplation.。