1984

Title: 1984

Author: George Orwell

Published in: 1949

Date read: 12th October 2004

Score: 5/5

Genre: Thriller, Classic, Dystopian

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Nineteen Eighty-Four" (often stylised as "1984") by George Orwell is a dystopian social science fiction novel published in 1949. It presents a terrifying vision of a totalitarian future where individuality and freedom are systematically suppressed.

The story is set in Airstrip One (formerly Great Britain), a province of the superstate Oceania, one of three perpetually warring global powers. The society is under the absolute control of the Party, a political entity that exercises complete dominance over every aspect of life, public and private. This control is maintained through constant surveillance, psychological manipulation, and brutal repression. The Party is headed by the omnipresent, yet never seen, figure of Big Brother, whose image is plastered everywhere alongside the chilling slogan: "BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU."

The protagonist is Winston Smith, a low-ranking member of the Outer Party, who works in the Ministry of Truth, where his job is to rewrite historical records to align with the Party's ever-changing propaganda. Despite the overwhelming control, Winston secretly harbours rebellious thoughts and a deep resentment for the Party. He is fascinated by the past and attempts to remember a time before the Party's absolute rule, an act of "thoughtcrime."

Winston's rebellion begins subtly: he starts a diary, a forbidden act. He later begins an illicit affair with Julia, a fellow Outer Party member who shares his disdain for the Party but expresses her rebellion through personal gratification rather than grand ideological defiance. Their relationship is a dangerous act of defiance in a world where sex is only for procreation and love is a betrayal of the Party.

The Party's power is cemented by several key concepts:
&bull: Newspeak: A controlled language designed to limit freedom of thought by eliminating words associated with rebellion.
&bull: Doublethink: The ability to simultaneously hold two contradictory beliefs in one's mind and accept both as true.
&bull: Thought Police: A secret police force that uses psychological methods and surveillance to detect and punish "thoughtcrime."

Winston eventually makes contact with O'Brien, a charismatic and seemingly sympathetic member of the Inner Party, whom Winston believes is part of a secret resistance movement called the Brotherhood. However, this interaction leads Winston to the terrifying reality of the Party's true nature and the depths of its cruelty, particularly through his experiences in the Ministry of Love, the Party's centre for political imprisonment and torture.
"Nineteen Eighty-Four" is a profound exploration of themes such as totalitarianism, censorship, individuality versus collective identity, surveillance, and the manipulation of truth and history. It serves as a stark warning about the dangers of unchecked power and the fragility of human freedom.

Comments:
I am not student of literature and I am much more a reader of "entertaining" books so have avoided ones that carry the label of "classic". I made myself read this one as a rite of passage as, unsurprisingly, loved it. I had to keep reminding myself that it was written in 1949.

Books that we've read by George Orwell (1):
1984 (1949)