Author: George Orwell
Genre: Utopian and dystopian fiction, Political fiction, Social science fiction
Original Publisher: Harvill Secker
Pages: 328 pages
Year of Publication: 8 June 1949
The dystopian fiction by George Orwell written more than 60 years earlier is still so much relatable with the world we reside in today. A classic, considered as one of those books which many avid readers fail to complete is a trophy if completely read. 1984 takes us to a make believe world which we feel exists even today. Whether it is the Big Brother who is following every action of ours (read as Facebook, Google or Amazon who keeps a track on every data of ours) or the war of Eurasia which is still synonymous with multiple wars which keep going on in today’stimes(read as Syria, Palestine, Israel or Iraq).
The enthralling way in which George Orwell describes the struggle which the protagonist “Winston Smith” undergoes in order to stick to his belief in a culture fraught with dictatorship is something fairly relatable. However the only difference is that in today’s times the dictatorship is replaced by democracy yet the struggle to stick to one’s beliefs remains the same.
WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.
These words keep resonating through one’s mind while reading the book. A fictional world where a set of people are ruled by a totalitarian regime, there every move monitored and every though processed is the crux of the book which the protagonist tries to rebel in his own ways till possible. There are Thought Police, and people are held as criminals for Though Crimes, they have a language called NewSpeak whose main aim is to reduce as much words and thoughts as possible. Imagine a world where one is neither allowed to think for oneself, write, read or have an opinion and a place where even one’s children will not hesitate to betray oneself to the authorities if they feel they are going against the Party and that’s brings us to Orwell’s 1984. His world which very much shows how we are falling in the same track.
The story belongs to an era when the world has been divided into three repressive states who are at a constant war amongst themselves. The protagonist, Winston Smith, belongs to the state of Oceania which is under constant scrutiny by the totalitarian rule of the Big Brother. He has some memories of the time when there was no war and when he lived a life of his own choice. But now he has lost all hope of living a free life and a life sans scrutiny. He shows some bravery when he meets and falls in love with Julia who shows some hope of freedom by coming under the shell of the Party. Although he knows his relationship with Julia will finally get him caught by the Big Brother, he pursues the same. However, he could never except what was in store for him.
The story strongly resonates today, when privacy is hard to come by and freedom is just a façade we believe that we have. A must read book for everyone.
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