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Proles


In Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, proles (collective noun) refers to the working class of Oceania (i.e. the proletariat).

Oceania's society is divided into three distinct classes: Inner Party, Outer Party and proles (with their own upper, middle and lower classes). The proles constitute 80% of the population; they receive little education, work at manual labor, live in poverty (although in having privacy and anonymity, qualitatively better off than Outer Party members), and usually die by the age of sixty.

As the Party slogan put it: 'Proles and animals are free.'

Inner and Outer Party members are under constant telescreen surveillance in both private and public; by contrast, proles' quarters are generally free of telescreens as the Party does not care to observe them. Proles who desire telescreens are required to purchase them. Their functions are simple: work and breed. They care little about anything but home and family, neighbour quarrels, films, football, beer, lottery tickets, and other such bread and circuses. They are not required to express support for the Party beyond occasional patriotic fervour; the Party creates meaningless entertainment, songs, novels and even pornography for the proles — all written by machines. Julia is a mechanic tending the novel writing machines in Pornosec. Proles do not wear uniforms, may use cosmetics, have a relatively free internal market economy, and would be even permitted religion if they had interest in it. Proles also have liberal sex lives, uninterrupted by the Party, and divorce and prostitution are enjoyed by Proles. Despite these personal freedoms, the Thought Police plant agents among the proles to spread false rumours and eliminate any individuals deemed capable of causing trouble. Prole quarters consist of rundown Victorian houses, shops and pubs. Though trade between Outer Party members and proles is nominally prohibited, all Party members participate, as prole shops are often the only source for certain minor necessities (the novel mentions shoelaces and razor blades as examples).


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