"But how far away that future may be, there is no knowing. It might be a thousand years. At present nothing is possible except to extend the area of sanity by a little. We cannot act collectively. We can only spread our knowledge outwards from individual to individual, generation to generation. In the face of the thought police, there is no other way" (Orwell, 176).
This passage provides insight to the true nature of the society depicted in 1984. It is ultimately the spread of knowledge that makes every dystopia unique. Almost all dystopias are monitored by a higher power who suppresses, but it is the method in which the members of that society react to revolt that makes each unique. This passage reveals the only feasible method of rebellion in Orwell's society. Only when an individual communicates with another individual can knowledge spread. This can be contrasted with other dystpoias (i.e. that in The Matrix) where the method of rebellion took place in a small group who understood the society. The individual communication that takes place in 1984 is typically an attribute of dystopias loaded with propaganda. Propaganda indicates a heavy government influence (and thus concentrated power) which leads to fear among the majority (in this case 85%). Because of the nature of Orwell's party (government) individual communication is revealed in the passage as the only possible method of rebellion.
In addition to the method of rebellion, one other key characteristic of the dystopia revealed in the above passage is the setting. It is indicated that any rebellion would take up to a thousand years to commence successfully, which is unique among this dystopia. In a sense this also provides foreshadowing to the character Winston's torture; his communication and ideas of rebellion could not have succeeded during his time, and thus he had to be caught.
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