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The American Heritage English Dictionary’s definition of the “soul” states that it is “the animating and vital principle in humans, credited with the faculties of thought, action, and emotion and often conceived as an immaterial entity.” To have a soul is to be capable of acting upon your beliefs and opinions, to be capable of independent thought, and to be capable of having human emotion within oneself and for others. In George Orwell’s futuristic doomed society of 1984, these three faculties of the soul are discouraged and trampled upon by a totalitarian government called “the Party.” By controlling and manipulating the citizens of Oceania physically, mentally and emotionally, the government eradicates the three faculties of the soul. The government achieves this by monitoring and controlling every aspect of human life and thus eliminating the soul entirely. This process can be seen throughout the novel through the regression of Winston’s character physically, mentally and emotionally. With the opening of the novel, Winston appears to be a strong character taking actions as he himself chooses or desires. The first major action he makes portrays his rebellious nature and aversion to the Party: writing