1984 was written by famous novelist George Orwell and published in 1949. This particular piece of literature takes place in the country of Oceania which is a totalitarian society under the “watch” of Big Brother. The citizens of Oceania are watched at every single time of the day and Winston (the main character) is against the oppression and manipulation. He wishes to rebel by joining the Brotherhood and overthrow the government and in this journey, he meets a beautiful woman by the name of Julia, who hates The Party just as much as he does and soon, they begin a secret sexual affair (which considered delicate crime). Julia and Winston meet a man named O’Brien whom they believe is part of the Brotherhood but is really part of the inner party. O’Brien “introduces” Winston into the Brotherhood which is really a trap that was planned for years. He and Julia are sent to the dreaded Ministry of Love. Winston and Julia are tortured and what they once believed in is suddenly tested, the individuality they once had is taken away. He is able to depict a society where one obtains no autonomy and incorporated the theme that a healthy and functional government consists of physical and psychological independence.
Orwell is known for writing novels about social justice and opposition against totalitarianism. Another one of his popular pieces was Animal Farm which personified a barn of animals based on Stalin’s betrayal of the Russian Revolution. There is a definite pattern in his books. His form of literature came from his past experiences. He was the son of a British colonial civil servant. Growing up he participated in the Indian Imperial Police, in both the anarchist party in the 1920’s and socialist party in the 1930’s. By 1936 Orwell had traveled to Spain to fight for the Republicans against France’s Nationalists. He fled fearing for his life when the Soviet Union backed by communists suppressed revolutionary socialists. As a reader you can absolutely find the connection between his writing and his life. He was exposed to several famous social issues and in publishing books like 1984 and Animal Farm, it was a way for him to apply his background and thoughts about the events into non-fiction stories foreshadowing what he thought about the issue or the future would look like.
Orwell’s novel 1984 is narrated by main character Winston Smith. There were many ideas throughout the book but it mainly depicted what a government with too much power can do to a society. Through Winston we clearly saw that “a government with too much authority is unsafe and will not function properly for the citizens if they do not obtain physical and psychological independence.” The government manipulated and oppressed people’s lives, decisions and even thoughts. In Oceania Big Brother was the head of The Party. The population was constantly reminded “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU.” This served as a barrier for Winston along with the other people to not do, think, or say what they believed. There was nowhere, where you were safe and free of the government. In fact, the government was so powerful that they had control of even the past. Winston worked in the Ministry of Truth where he did away with documents of the past or altered them into something The Party wanted it to be, “[his] job was to rectify the original figures by making them agree with later ones.” “Lies became the truth… just once in his life he possessed…evidence of an act of falsification.” In opposition to the Party, Winston feels as if he obtains the power to expose the truth. Government oppression causes him to continue to do away with the past hence, showing us the frustration he would feel. Having the actual truth ready to be revealed yet completely shut down by just the thought of being supervised all of the time and fear of his life. Everyone in Oceania was completely brain washed and having no physical documentation of the past was definitely not helpful. “For how can you establish even