Emmanuel Goldstein

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Emmanuel Goldstein is a fictional enemy in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. In Oceania, the Party claims he founded The Brotherhood, a secret resistance against Big Brother and the regime known as Ingsoc. He is also said to be the author of The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism, a counter-history that accuses Big Brother of betraying the revolution. Goldstein himself appears only in state propaganda on the telescreen during the daily Two Minutes Hate, and he is never seen in person. The Party teaches that The Brotherhood is a real, but leaderless network of secret agents; others argue it may be a myth created by the regime. Inside the story, it’s unclear whether Goldstein and The Book are real or simply tools of the Party. Critics have drawn parallels between Goldstein and real revolutionaries like Trotsky. Regardless of his true existence, Goldstein serves as the symbol of dissent that the Party uses to justify surveillance, punishment, and control over Oceania.