1984 Book Review

“1984” is a political fiction novel by George Orwell. The novel focuses around the concept of totalitarianism. Orwell wrote the novel in the 1940s. During that time, totalitarian governments were on a rise in many parts of the world. Orwell chose 1984 as a symbolic date of the future in general. The novel represents a dystopian society, which is a society that is overly controlled by an oligarchical government. This means that few people hold power and make rules for the rest of the people.

Big Brother maintains the oligarchical government. They control information on the past and misinform the citizens about current events, which is a war being fought overseas.

It is a story about Winston Smith, a middle-aged man who lives in Oceania. Oceania is a collection of countries that form one of the three superpowers in the world.

Winston Smith works as a clerk for the Ministry of Truth of truth in London. He works under Big Brother, the ruling party of Oceania. His job is to update all books, newspapers, speeches, and other text, to match what Big Brother sees as correct.

The people live in an era where they must be weary of the Though Police – a group who uses telescreens to view any suspicious activity from potential troublemakers. Winston lives an unhappy life and holds a diary, where he expresses his feelings and frustrations.

While Winston was at work, he noticed a woman named Julia. She is a beautiful, young, and mysterious woman. One day, she slips him a secret note expressing her love for him. The two secretly met up and engaged in a romantic relationship. Their relationship had to remain a secret because Big Brother forbids intimacy. The only reason why intimacy is accepted is to procreate.

Winston and Julia find a fellow coworker who is involved with a group of rebels in the novel that reject the “status quo” set by The Brotherhood. They join together to prepare to act in a fight for freedom. The two lovers could either escape their oppressed life or be faced with terrible punishments given by Big Brother.

Orwell also uses great detail throughout the book that absorb the reader into the story. He manages to tough the readers mind with a great description using all 5 senses. Along with the great detail, Winston Smith, the protagonist is a strong center for the novel. However, despite the great detail and the fascinating ideas that Orwell incorporates in the story, the second half of the book is not that interesting. It becomes repetitive and dry. Aside from that, the main factor that keeps the story going is the bluntness of how the process of the government and power is explained.

“1984” is a great novel for people to read, especially students. It is especially interesting to see how George Orwell could predict a living situation 40 years before they happened. A quote that stood out to me in the novel was “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping n a human face – forever” (p.  230). The quote amplifies the power that the government abused in the novel. It has happened in the past through various nations, and can even be seen happening again today.