1984
by george orwell
★★★★☆
dates read: 6/13/22 - 6/19/22
"Among the seminal texts of the 20th century, Nineteen Eighty-Four is a rare work that grows more haunting as its futuristic purgatory becomes more real. Published in 1949, the book offers political satirist George Orwell's nightmarish vision of a totalitarian, bureaucratic world and one poor stiff's attempt to find individuality. The brilliance of the novel is Orwell's prescience of modern life—the ubiquity of television, the distortion of the language—and his ability to construct such a thorough version of hell. Required reading for students since it was published, it ranks among the most terrifying novels ever written." (taken from goodreads)
in 1984, oceania and its government are just absolutely expert gaslighters. they are the final boss of gaslighting.
orwell in his novel emphasizes the importance of history, but the even bigger importance of being able to acknowledge the past. despite moving in completely different directions, the past shapes the future. with that being said, there is power in being able to control the past, erasing all memories from what happened before.
“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”
the terror of 1984 is palpable. the fear orwell demonstrates is absolutely mortifying. but what's even scarier is at times i'm able to see resemblances between the totalitarian government of oceania and the democratic government of the united states. under trump's candidacy he threw around phrases like "fake news" while denying any and all claims that he was wrong without any real evidence. the lack of accountability between the two mirror one another.
big brother is scary, because he's not real. he's a form of propaganda that oceania has implemented in order for the state to feel unified under one leader and to provide a face for their fear. big brother is described as omnipotent, a god. there is an agenda that always needs to be served, like a potentially fake war that is causing unnecessary rationing that results in big brother's praise, or maybe launching rockets on the proles as a way to stay ahead of possible revolts, or creating a fake brotherhood to sniff out dissenters. big brother knows everything, and will use it to his advantage.
julia’s sexual revolution was also an interesting facet of 1984. she heavily contrasted winston's wife and used her sexuality to her own advantage. sexual empowerment is usually seen in men rather than women, but in the case of julia, it's her medium for revolt. having sex for her character helps her feel in control of her body, limiting the power that big brother has over her autonomy.
1984 is as scary as it is necessary. this novel of political satire forces you to think about the status of your own autonomy, the individuality of your thoughts, and the ways in which your own government affects both of those things. the answer may be more disappointing than you think.