George Orwell - 1984

Synopsis

Life in a totalitarian country can only have 2 outcomes: 1. Let your oppressors control you by living under their daily scrutiny and obedience, or 2. Rebel against your oppressors at the risk of death. These are the options that plague Winston at every opportunity he deems it safe to think for himself. But the more he engages in this thoughtcrime, the more he values this simple act of freedom and craves more. Alone, Winston can do nothing. But with others like himself who also hate those in power, they can overthrow Big Brother and win their freedom. But in a world where everyone is forced to look and act the same, finding a true ally may be Winston’s greatest challenge

Likes

Orwell writes in a way that makes you think. He incorporates real world ideologies such as absolutism which pushes the reader to reflect on own societies. Although 1984 presents an extreme level of government control, we still question our freedom as we realise that much of our own lives and decisions have been influenced by those in power. For example, being enrolled in compulsory education from a young age; going onto further education to not risk exclusion from job prospects; getting married to receive incentives such as tax breaks; glorifying the nuclear family encouraged by the government and media, etc. Many of us don’t doubt these things as being part of the life cycle so they become ingrained in us which we then pass onto future generations along with that government control. As a result, Orwell makes us question if what we’re doing and how we’re living is a product of our own desires, or if it is due to the expectations and influences of those in power. I enjoy a book that makes me think about myself and the world I live in and Orwell does a great job of encouraging that through this novel

I appreciate the realism in this novel. So many books have happy endings which are nice, but unrealistic. The way the events unfolded are how they should have unfolded. Orwell acknowledges the extreme unlikelihood of a small group overthrowing such a dominant power, so although Winston’s downfall was disappointing, it was not surprising. It would have been rather ridiculous if Winston was able to gather allies and somehow overthrow Big Brother with the limited resources and knowledge they had of The Party. Despite things not working out for Winston, I wouldn’t have had it any other way

The twist in the novel completely threw me off! Even though I knew that Winston would be unlikely to break free from the party, his tenacity and dedication had me believing that he could. But Orwell set me straight with the twist and reminded me that it was nothing more than wishful thinking, strengthening my relatability to Winston due to his desire for freedom but inability to attain it. Despite good reasoning and judgement, I never saw it coming and I love that I was caught off guard in an instant

Dislikes

I enjoyed the storyline but felt as though there was quite a bit of waffle which slowed down the pace of the novel. For example, when Winston acquired the book available to those who had been recruited into the Brotherhood, the reader was forced to read the chapters of the book along with him. Although I understand that the point was for the reader to gain insight into some of the book’s content and the Brotherhood, I didn’t want to read a book inside of another book. It may have been more effective if the chapters Winston had read were summarised or even paraphrased, such as in conversation with Julia when he informed her of what he had read. I didn’t feel that it added to the story, but actually took away from it as my engagement dipped

Similarly to the previous point, Winston was often deep in thought for long periods, causing the story to develop frustratingly slowly at times, resulting in further impatience and boredom as I wished that Winston would stop thinking and actually do something

General Thoughts

There was some foreshadowing used when Winston saw the 3 men who had gone against The Party sitting in the Café, as though awaiting their death. At the time, I never considered that Winston would also be in that very same position, nor the relevance of the music which played in the background, symbolising their rapidly impending fate. I thought it was very clever

Even after reading the novel, I am still unsure if O’Brien was an ally or an enemy. I still do not know if the Brotherhood exists. But I like that these questions remain unanswered as it encourages more thinking and leaves it open to debate

I would have liked to know what happened to Winston’s mum and little sister, but I have a strong suspicion that they’ve been killed. I would have also liked to know what happened to his wife

Rating

There was a fair bit of waffling in this book which made it difficult for me to remain engaged throughout. Other than this, I did enjoy the book due to the ideology and symbolism within and Orwell’s ability to encourage me to think and reflect. Additionally, I appreciated the storyline and how the events unfolded, so much so that it has encouraged me to watch the movie

Based on this, I would give this book a 3.5/5

Would I recommend?

1984 is an insightful novel and Orwell does a great job of putting different societal concepts and ideas into an interesting book. I would recommend this to those who are interested in the study of social sciences such as sociology and anthropology as it is a great book for discussion. I would also recommend this to those who enjoy the Dystopian genre like myself

Favourite Quotes

‘WAR IS PEACE FREEDOM IS SLAVERY IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH’

‘Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious’

‘The consciousness of being at war, and therefore in danger, makes the handing-over of all power to a small caste seem the natural, unavoidable condition of survival’