N
Glam Journal

What are the proles in the book 1984?

Author

Chloe Ramirez

Updated on March 04, 2026

What are the proles in the book 1984?

In George Orwell’s dystopian 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, the proles are the working class of Oceania. The word prole is a shortening of the word proletarian.

Who are the proles and what do they represent?

The proles are the working people — the ones who provide all the more physical and manual labor that needs to be done in the society. For example, they serve the food at the cafeteria at Winston’s workplace. They make up about 85% of the society.

What did Winston say about the proles in 1984?

In 1984, the main character, Winston, thinks to himself, “If there was hope, it must lie in the proles, because only there in those swarming disregarded masses, 85 per cent of the population of Oceania, could use the force to destroy the Party ever be generated.” But in the same passage, through thinking it through, he …

How does Winston describe the proles?

Winston writes in his diary that any hope for revolution against the Party must come from the proles. However, the proles lead brutish, ignorant, animalistic lives, and lack both the energy and interest to revolt; most of them do not even understand that the Party is oppressing them.

What is the significance of the proles?

As outlets of entertainment increased in post-war Britain, the Proles were essentially a warning of what the masses could become if they were not educated.

What do the proles symbolize?

The prole woman symbolizes fertility and reproductive capacity, and represents the strong and vital lower classes. She is compared to an animal (a mare), a fruit (a rose-hip), and an overripe turnip. Winston feels a “mystical reverence” toward her.

What is the purpose of the proles?

Why does Winston like the Proles?

Winston thinks that hope lies with the proles because they make up the majority of Oceania’s population and are the only group that could summon enough force to overthrow the Party.

Who are the Proles Why does Winston write?

‘If there is hope,’ wrote Winston, “it lies in the proles.” In other words, Winston is saying that if the Party is ever to be destroyed, then the Proles are the people who can do it. This occurs to him because the Proles constitute 85% of the population of Oceania. Therefore, they represent an overwhelming majority.

Who are the proles Why does Winston write?

Who are proles how are they treated differently?

The proles are poor and oblivious, and therefore the Party does not watch them like the Inner and Outer Party are watched by telescreens. It is taught that proles are “natural inferiors who must be kept in subjection” (74) so they are treated differently since they are seen as defeated and controllable people.

Why do the proles never revolt?

Why won’t the proles participate in a revolt against the Party? The Party treats them well. They figure they will be worse off in a revolution. They are ignorant of the Party’s control over them.