1984 - A review by Anthony

George Orwell’s 1984 is most definitely one of the books of all time – it’s unique, powerful, and deeply thought-provoking.

This book sat on my desk the whole summer. I originally checked it out from the library along with The Book Thief (go read my previous blog about it!!), but I kind of just forgot about 1984 – that is, until a few weeks ago, when I needed a novel I could write a blog about. Here’s a summary of the novel:

Ingsoc, or the Party, as it was called, had three slogans: War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength. Big Brother was the face of the Party. No one knew who exactly he was, or if he was even an real person. His face always appeared in posters and propaganda along with the words, “Big Brother is watching you”. His ever-seeing eyes monitored every single person’s actions at the same time by the use of telescreens – there was rarely a place where a Party officer behind a telescreen could not see.

The world at the time was divided into 3 superstates: Eurasia, Eastasia, and Oceania. It was in Oceania where the Party ruled. Its power was divided in to 4 Ministries, all located in London: The Ministry of Plenty dealt with economic shortages; the Ministry of Peace was concerned about the perpetual war with Eurasia or Eastasia; the Ministry of Love administered torture and brainwashing; and the Ministry of Truth was responsible for keeping history up-to-date. These Ministries were the backbone of the Party. It was in the Ministry of Truth (called Minitrue, in the language of Newspeak: an abridged version of the English language designed by the Party to limit the ability to talk, or even think, about opposing the Party) where a man named Winston Smith worked. His job was to rewrite historical records. If an ordinary person read through those records, it would seem that Big Brother’s predictions were never wrong (oftentimes, they were quite wrong).

Winston seems like a good Party member – on the outside, he seems like that type of brainless rat that scurries around, serving the Party mindlessly. He’s pretty certain that he’s 39 years old and that the year is 1984, though he isn’t completely sure: the exact year is always hard to pin down. The daily Two Minutes Hate commences at exactly 11:00 in the morning, during which the crowd shouts at the tops of their voices against the face of Emmanuel Goldstein, the Enemy of the Party. Winston joins in the frenzy every day – any sign of reluctance would be punishable by death, and plus his existence would be completely erased from history. It is mainly because of the Two Minutes Hate that Emmanuel Goldstein is widely known as the leader of the Brotherhood, which the Party describes as an evil mass-underground organization dedicated to destroying Big Brother. Goldstein is also the author of an evil, whispered-about book without a name, referred to as the book: a written manifestation of the Brotherhood’s purpose.

One day, during the daily Two Minutes Hate, Winston momentarily locks eyes with a mysterious Inner Party member named O’Brien. Winston is deeply drawn to O’Brien, and he believes that this fleeting moment is a sign of understanding: that O’Brien may be a double agent inside the Party – that he might not really be completely loyal towards Big Brother. Winston knows that there is one tiny corner in his living room where the telescreen cannot see, and while hiding there, Winston does the unthinkable: he opens a diary. To mark the paper would be to commit thoughtcrime, the deadliest of crimes. He knows that from now on, it is only a matter of when the Thought Police will arrest him.

As life slithers on, illegal thoughts of his diary, the Brotherhood, and O’Brien continue to haunt Winston. One day, O’Brien suddenly singles out Winston in an open alley. O’Brien gives Winston his address, saying that Winston might want to check out a new version of the Newspeak dictionary. Winston excitedly takes this as a hint to privately talk with O’Brien about the Brotherhood. He brings Julia, his newfound love and fellow conspirator, with him to O’Brien’s office. There, O’Brien turns off his telescreen, and they have an unmonitored conversation. It culminates when O’Brien reveals his true intentions, and he indoctrinates Winston and Julia into the Brotherhood. Winston eventually acquires a copy of the book: Goldstein’s book. It’s a turning point in Winston’s life, as he is officially part of the Brotherhood – but that also means his inevitable trip to the Ministry of Love is coming closer and closer.

1984 is one-of-a-kind. If you look at it one way, it has a somewhat lackluster plot (it seems like your ordinary hero’s journey), but to me it’s really not a problem because of the style it was written. Orwell wrote piercingly straightforward (there’s basically no fancy figurative language or anything) – making the novel ominous, even cold, at times. It’s important to note that this version of the year 1984 isn’t super far-fetched at all (see North Korea, the USSR under Stalin, classism in the USA), so this novel makes it super easy for the reader to imagine living in this possible future. Please go read this book!!

To end on a quote: "Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past."

- George Orwell