1984 Book Club Response

1984 Blogpost

Gus Miller, 802

The novel 1984 by George Orwell uses a frightening dystopian society in which literally every aspect of the peoples’ lives are dictated by a thought-reading regime of fascists to foreshadow the implications of post-WWII civilization. We follow an interestingly pathetic antihero, Winston, as he journeys through the steps of realization and rebelliousness that come with the realization of the oppressiveness of one’s society. The book uses a variety of symbols and metaphors to show the way life would be in such a situation and to compare it with the way we currently live.

Throughout the beginning and middle of the book, Winston has a strange and evolving relationship with a woman named Julia, which drastically changes his view over the world’s situation and inspires a sense of purpose and courage within him. At first, he’s convinced that she’s spying on him, and he describes hating her and wanting to rape and kill her. However, the abrupt notification that she wants to be involved in a romance with him turns their connection into one of rebelliousness and lust. The seemingly unbreakable bond of love between them encourages and, to Winston, warrants their small rebelliousness against the Party. However, once they are both captured, and the infallibility of the Party is fully made known to them, the bond is smashed, which plays a central role in the dominance of these protagonists. Near the end of the book, Julia says “...All you care about is yourself.” To this, Winston responds,

“...You don’t feel the same…” These quotes, and the betrayals of these two against each other, show how the government can have power enough to break through anything standing against them, if they’re left to gain a strong enough hold over society.

Near the end of the book, the Party demonstrates their full power, effectively pulling the facade of chance and hope for the future away like tissue paper. Winston and Julia had sworn into a fake Brotherhood against the Party, and were caught by hidden telescreens and promptly imprisoned. This part of the book is where Orwell shows the true monstrosity that is our potential future. There truly was no way to resist the party, and through this last section of the book, we see firsthand how far this government has been allowed to go. Everything that could possibly mean anything but stupid complacence is forcefully stripped from Winston and Julia, and Winston’s sentiments on the book’s last page echo this perfectly. “...O cruel, needless misunderstanding! But… everything was all right… He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.” This is the finest demonstration of the unstoppable strenght and the uniquely brutal capabilities of a government like the party to utterly dominate its people.

In conclusion, 1984 delivers a strong message and warning, showing the potential events that would result due to human nature mixed with certain conditions. The things that happen in this novel aren’t that far off for something so catastrophic, and work extremely well at portraying the consequences that could come from certain way of governing. It’s important to consider the implications of a book like this, since it’s based off of a real time period in which the government portrayed wasn’t far from taking power. 1984 is an important part of our culture, and a wise reminder of our own potential.