1984 (1949)

This book is the quintessential dystopian fiction. I read it every few years and the messages are still so relevant. It's bleak look at life in a totalitarian regime should serve as a tremendous warning for everyone living today. The year 1984 has since come and gone, but Orwell's vision could still strike in any year. ( )

1984 is a classic novel by George Orwell that brings readers into a dystopian society where citizens know “Big Brother is watching you." It follows the life of Winston Smith, a low ranking member of ‘the Party’, who is frustrated by the pervasive eyes of the party, and its ominous ruler, Big Brother. Winston lives in a bleak, totalitarian world where his job is to rewrite newspaper articles to support present political propaganda. His world is squalid, regimented, and violent.

I know I read 1984 decades ago, but didn't remember how well Orwell takes us into this dark and brutal world. The message it delivers seems to become more relevant as modern technology continues to expand. I tend to believe (hope and pray) that society will never reach this depth of surrender but it was still very depressing, confusing, and frightening to imagine. If you haven't read it, you need to!

WTR - 1305 ( )

The main character in 1984 is Winston Smith. Winston can remember a time before Big Brother and the Party that eventually comes into power that rules what people say and even think. Winston as a character goes from heartbreaking (when rembering his mother) to vaguely repulsive (listening to his initial inner thoughts about Julia) and back to heartbreaking again.

Orwell does a great job of showing Winston as a man who wonders about a time before Big Brother and has his eyes opened to the fact that the Party lies and he doesn't have the same fervor that his fellow comrades do.

Realizing that his own thoughts can lead to his eventual death Winston still pushes on documenting his thoughts on paper the Party and the history he has been spoon fed. At this point in time I wondered about Winston's intelligence. He knows about the public executions and how many of the children nowadays even go and turn in their own parents.

Eventually we have Winston and a woman who he initially loathes coming together and they fall in love. The parts of the book dealing with Winston's happiness are sad since even he realizes that it can't last forever.

Additionally, Orwell does a great job of setting the scene in so many places. Winston's apartment and building smell rancid and like cabbage. The taste of the food sounds barely edible and everything feels bleak. Even when we have moments of happiness (Winston and Julia stealing away time together) it is quickly crushed with them being bitten by bedbugs and lice. This whole book had my stomach turning and scratching. I felt like this book should only be read on bright sunny days.

The only flaws I felt in this book were when we get to Winston receiving a book by the Brotherhood and the discussion of the proles.

We have Winston reading what he calls the book and so as he reads, we read. The whole thing went on way too long in my opinion and I found myself getting bored. I think a few short lines of what Winston was reading would have gotten the same point across.

Regarding the proles (proletariat) in 1984 who have more freedom in order to stop them from revolting since the lower classes were less likely to revolt. I thought that it was a nice way for Orwell to handwave the whole concept of keeping tight rein on one class and ignoring the other.

I would probably as a history major argue against anyone thinking that most revolutions are started by the middle class. Look at the October Revolution in Russia. That wasn't started by the middle class. And allowing them access to booze, born, and a lottery system just seemed if I can say goofy. The 1984 we hear about is pretty awful. It just seems pretty short sided to have a large population of people that could turn against the higher classes of the Party. That could be what Orwell was trying to say here though. That any uprisings that were to happen couldn't come from the middle class.

One likes to think as you read this book that a world like this can never come into existence, that people would never allow it. However I think of what is going on right now in Russia and North Korea and realize that it can happen, just not world wide.

When we get to the ending you feel as if you have just been put through the ringer like Winston and that his end will be coming soon. ( )

4.5 stars

Re-read Feb 2020

First read Aug 2014 ( )

Incredible writing. Laugh out loud funny and very sad at parts.

A classic for a reason. Still relevant and doesn't at all feel like an old book. ( )