How is the human experience of conformity explored in 1984?

The Party understands that by controlling
citizens's thoughts, it effectively forces them into conformity in every way: action, emotion,
and thought. Thus, it is 's job to constantly rewrite history and to modify print sources to
align with the image and policies of Big Brother:

"Who control the past," ran the Party slogan, "controls the future: who
controls the present controls the past." And yet the past, though of its nature alterable,
never had been altered. Whatever was true now was true from everlasting to everlasting. It was
quite simple. All that was needed was an unending series of victories over your own memory.
"Reality control," they called it; in Newspeak, "doublethink." ()

Eventually, Winston decides to break with conformity and explore a
meaningful relationship with . Both believe that they will eventually be caught but take the
risk because it is more worthwhile than continuing to live in false fervor for the Party. Julia
thinks that she will eventually be tortured for her actions but also believes that conformity of
the heart isn't possible. She notes, "It's the one thing they can't do. They can make you
say anythinganythingbut they can't make you believe it. They can't get inside you." Winston
ponders this and agrees:

They could not alter your
feelings; for that matter you could not alter them yourself, even if you wanted to. They could
lay bare in the utmost detail everything that you had done or said or thought; but the inner
heart, whose workings were mysterious even to yourself, remained impregnable. ()

Both Julia and Winston ultimately learn the powers of forced
conformity. Once taken prisoner for their actions, they are forced to endure their worst fears
and turn on each other in an effort to save themselves. Thus, the Party succeeds in stripping
away Winston's feelings for Julia, which he considered an impossibility.

In
the end, Winston professes his love for Big Brother. His conversion to absolute conformity in
every way shows that it is possible to control every aspect of individuals through a forced
outward conformity. By taking over individual freedoms and reshaping society to reflect only the
ideology of one faction, it is possible to lay claim to individuals's emotions, thoughts, and
personal alliances.