Background of the Study
2 see its socio-political relevance. Most literary criticism even more strengthens the
status quo systems than to make a social change p. 170. Inspired by Eagleton’s thought about the function of literary criticism and
its relation with the reality, George Orwells Nineteen Eighty-four was chosen to be the object of this study. This Orwell’s novel, as the other novels, describes the
social conditions that occur in peoples lives. Hence, analyzing intrinsic elements contained in the novel can take us into a new perspective to know the social
problems that are happening in real life. Hopefully, with a new perspective, the readers of this thesis can react by making a motion to correct the social problems
that exist. One of the main issues occurred in society viewed deeply through
Orwell’s novels is the acts of structural violence. What is violence? In sociological discussion, violence is any acts which are intended to cause physical
and mental pain or serious injury to another person Cheal, 2002. The Encyclopaedia of Psychology
1994 defines violence as harm caused to persons, destruction of property, violent intentions, and specific other behaviour. Galtung
1969 sees more deeply on the violence definition. He proposes a concept of structural violence in the study of violence. Structural violence refers to any
constraint on human potential due to economic and political structures. Unequal access to resources, to political power, to education, to health care, or to legal
standing are the forms of structural violence Galtung, 1969.This kind of violence is present all around us, close to us, and we are not even aware that we are the
victims. For this reason, I was drawn to the theme of violence in this study.
3 The acts of violence, which Galtung said as structural violence, as depicted
in the novel, is actually a reflection of the social problems occurred in the level of social structure. Structural violence, however, is usually invisible, embedded in
ubiquitous social structures, normalized by stable institutions and regular experience. “Structural violence occurs whenever people are disadvantaged by
political, legal, economic or cultural traditions because they are longstanding, structural inequities usually seem ordinary” Winter, D. D., Leighton, D. C.,
2001, p. 23. The structural violence that infiltrates social structure becomes invisible
and seems ordinary. It is because social structure, as the parts or elements in society that regularly arranged to form a systematic unity, works as a placement
scheme of socio-cultural values and society’s organs into a position that is considered appropriate to maintain the community as a whole organism. As a
consequence, the function and the interests of each social part work in a relatively long time Olanike, 2012.
Socio-cultural values in a social structure, which consist of religion, ideology, moral and government regulations, play an important role to maintain
structural violence in society. The institutions that maintain the social structure which are infiltrated by violence could be anything. Schools, churches, families,
hospitals, and government are the examples of institutions that develop the social structure and spread moral values believed by society. According to Gramsci
1983, those institutions are called ideological state apparatus that their works are making invisible rules norms in the civil society through civil institutions
4 mentioned above. It works to disciple civil society in order to maintain the power
of state pp. 244. The social institution in the form of the government, the family, religion
institution, even educational institution have the potencies for establishing a structural violence. The thing which must be underlined from this kind of violence
is the motive of power. In spreading the values and ideology, these institutions are not neutral but actually favouring the ruler. That violence is committed by the
state in the name of securing the state’s power and stability. “This kind of violence can deny freedom and plurality, which means, it destroys private and
public spaces” Arendt, 1959, p. 70. The chosen novel, in the writers point of view, contains the acts of
structural violence in great quantities. This novel provides rich experience of life of the violence’s victim as portrayed mainly in the main character. Winston
Smith, the main character in the novel, lives in a country called Oceania which implements totalitarian system. He lives with the social problem under totalitarian
system such as extreme poverty, unequal wealth distribution, underdevelopment, repression and super high surveillance from the government.
The level of surveillance and repression of every individual in totalitarian society requires a huge, bloated bureaucratic state-apparatus. In Orwell‘s society
there are four enormous institutions taking care governing society. They have names that are opposite to the idea of their main function. The Ministry of Truth is
responsible for spreading propaganda. The Ministry of Peace is responsible for conducting the constant wars. The Ministry of Plenty is responsible to run the
5 economy. Finally, the Ministry of Love is responsible for maintaining law and
order, repressing, torturing, and assassinating any rebellious individuals. Those ministries in the perspectives of state power are an instrument of the
state to run the system that contributed to the hegemony of state power. Hegemony is a condition in which people obey everything commanded by the
authorities without any qualms. That places are the places to inculcate and invest the ideology of the state. Its job is to make the insurgent being obedient so that the
state can continue its existence Gramsci, 1983, p. 244. The real side effect from it is the continuity of structural violence to the citizen.
Understanding Nineteen Eighty Four just as George Orwell’s prevision confirmation literally for our world today would be obviously disappointing. We
will not find the things contained in the Orwell’s imaginary world like thought police, telescreen, Ministry of Love, and totalitarian system in the real world as
we live in today. Nonetheless, apparently totalitarianism characteristic can be found in any ideology, including in the ideology of liberal democracy which in
Francis Fukuyama’s opinion is the “end point of mankind’s ideological evolution”. Government censorship, strict surveillance, wiretapping, political
oligarchy, media controlling by only a few of people are phenomena with totalitarian characteristics that can even be found in the ideology of liberal
democracy though. In novel, it can be seen that Orwell as the author cannot take for granted
the absolute domination and power from the state. Through Winston, the main character in the story, the resistance from the state’s domination is depicted.
6 Winston shows that state, with its absolute domination, will never be able to go
in-depth into the individual thinking and muzzle it at once. This novel shows how great the impact of the discipline is when forced into the people by the state
apparatus. I use the main characters of the novel as the sample of society that is disciplined through structural violence and how this act to disciple affects the
behaviours and ways of thinking. Hopefully, my reading on this case can give a new perspective to the reader of this thesis that in every part of social structure
they can be a victim of structural violence. This study could be relevant to English learners, especially for English
Language Education Study Programme ELESP students since Sanata Dharma University implements three important principles namely: competence,
conscience, and compassion. As soon-to-be teachers, we do not only give formal education to our students, however, we also teach them how we respect and care
with others. By knowing and understanding structural violence, the ELESP students will be more considered how important peace for humanity is.
Furthermore, based on the understanding in structural violence study, the ELESP students would be able to design education system to be more humanist and less
violent.