Setting and Style

Setting and Style

            Nineteen Eighty-Four, which is published as 1984, is a dystopian novel first published in the year 1949 by George Orwell its setting being in the Airstrip one in the former Great Britain and a province known as Oceania. Oceania is described by perpetual wars, pervasive government scrutiny and rampant events of public manipulation. This setting is of much importance considering the outspoken themes of this novel, censorship and brainwashing, which are out of public manipulation taking place in this province at the time. The 1984 story begins on a cold, bright day in April 1984. It’s At 1 p.m. when Winston Smith, a small, frail man drags himself home for lunch at his apartment on the 7th floor of the Victory Mansions. This is a third person; yet, I never failed to be encompassed in Winston’s feelings. Historically the events of this story are taking place in the communist and socialist regimes of World War II (Regis, 2013).

Character analysis

Winston smith can be clearly termed as the only protagonist in this novel. He is naturally an everyman character representing a common citizen and whom the reader can basically identify with (Regis, 2013).

The prominent character trait of Winston Smith is his tendency to be rebellious. He is constantly opposing the authority to an extend that he even detests during the party. He defies this party by writing “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” in his small diary. He is also seen to enter into an illicit love affair with Julia, who contrally to him rebels just for the purpose of pleasure and not for philosophical reasons. At the last moments, Winston seems to join the Brotherhood in an act of absolute rebellion in a legendary furtive group in plan of overthrowing the party (Regis, 2013).

Another profound character trait of Winston smith is his thoughtful and intellect. The long passages of this character provide Orwell with the means of developing the recurring themes of thought manipulation through the leadership language. Physical and psychological intimidation has been used in reference to this character to show how force has been used to gain power and control and how there is an importance of teaching the history of the society correctly (Regis, 2013).

Negatively, Winston Smith is one gentleman who cannot attract anybody who comes across him. He is full of habits which take away his personal glamour. Due to overdrinking he even neglects his physical appearance. He cannot manage his money well to cater for his personal grooming. “He couldn’t afford a pair of pajamas”. He did not have healthy mind state to control the normal conditions of his life as depicted on his behavior when he falls in love with Julia (Regis, 2013).

Interview with minor character Tom Parsons

Tom Persons is both a neighbor to Winston and a coworker. Tom is a one character Winston seems to despise out of his unquestioning acceptance to everything that the party tells him (Regis, 2013).

1. Do you think the party is acting according to the people’s will
2. Yes
3. No
4. What is Winston’s character according to your opinion
5. Insurgent
6. Loyalist
7. Do you believe in the party claims and doctrine
8. Yes
9. No
10. The Big Brother says “ignorance is strength” out of this quote, what is your opinion on the Big Brother.
11. Loyal citizen
12. Rebel
13. Do you think that the death punishment which is the common punishment in this society is a good one or it should be rectified?
14. It’s a good one
15. Should be rectified.
16. Do you think the idea of erasing the truth factor of the past events by the Ministry of Truth benefits the citizens or the leaders
17. Citizens
18. Leaders
19. Those who commit thought crime are tortured until they grow to love and obey Big Brother and serve only the interests of the Party. Do you think this is a good way of controlling people?
20. Yes
21. No

Review of the novel

Right from the word go, Orwell manages to articulate so many this which any sober minded person will at one moment thought about and not in a position to put them into words. In the first few chapters of this novel, I found myself stopping and quietly considering the words of Mr. Orwell (Regis, 2013).

For instance when he articulates about writing itself as a type of time travel, this is a direct communication with the future. “Am writing these words now, but others may not discover them for hours, weeks, or even years”

The notion that writing could at one time be outlawed shivers my timbers. I can relate Winston so much in this way. I think I would have found a way to write or read.

Politics of psychology run deep in this novel. This is because of the vivid truth that although the society lacks written laws, many of the acts considered illegal are punishable by death. The party slogan “war is peace” is fully convoluted. Individuality is scowled upon and can easily lead to one being labelled as a traitor to the party (Regis, 2013).

I was also wondering about the title of this book “1984”. The concept of Big Brother was very familiar to me in that I was wondering why it wasn’t the name of this novel. I realized later that in the story the Ministry of Truth has totally erased the truth about the past in this society to a level that they even don’t know actually the year. It could very easily have been 1980 or even 1981. This according to me makes the title “1984” a powerful title of the novel. Something very simple as a year or date is not known in this society. They just believe in what they are being told. They have no right to keep track. Sincerely knowledge is powerful and necessary. But as per the Big Brother, Ignorance is strength (Regis, 2013).

Orwell manages to keep me totally enthralled through his long exposition paragraphs, recounting events and explaining the society. He also talks in circles and intriguing repeated ideas. I must admit that I totally zoned out while Winston was reading from the Book, but was fascinated by the culture (Regis, 2013).

George ensures that any reader does not have a feeling of disconnection from the events that are taking place around them. I developed a very strong attachment to Winston and thrived on living inside him all through the story. I also became a member of the Thought Police, feeling and hearing everything and last but not least, questioning all what is happening (Regis, 2013).

Although I wasn’t expecting to encounter any love story in this book, the relationship between Winston and Julia is amazingly profound. I enjoyed it more than I expected and I think the moments between these two were beautiful. I was not aware that Winston was going to betray Julia in the party or not, but I teared up eventually when it came to this relationship (Regis, 2013).

Seems the main message in this novel is all about censorship and brainwashing. Censorship is the act of ensuring that people have limited and very little exposure to the real world while brainwashing is a forced exposure to some specific ideas. Both can be extremely dangerous.

The dangers of censorship idea are clear in the Ministry of Truth through how the party has totally rewritten the past through forging and destroying the documents and their physical evidence. Brainwashing is taking place in the ministry of Love as depicted by Winston where those who commit the so called thought crime are taken through a process of torture until they develop a sense of love and obedience to Big Brother and serve only the party interests (Regis, 2013).

“The good of many being important than the good of one” is another theme which can be deduced from this story although it appears not to be consistent. Although many people feel their own happiness is more important than the happiness of the rest, when inside the mind of Winston all I start to care about is the well-being of all the people rather than personal happiness of which in this scenario was able to help disband and conquer the party and Big Brother (Regis, 2013).

I almost don’t know how I can think of this book. Am not even sure how my brain still works out of this context. This novel has a way of molding the readers mind to think he knows exactly what he believes about everything and then turns him completely upside down by making him question whether he believes anything at all about anything. This is a strange thing indeed (Regis, 2013).

Basically, I think everybody should take a step to read 1984. It’s all worth it in the end. It’s unconditionally incredible and it awakened me. Although it’s a hard read, but more importantly, a must read.

References

Regis, H. F. (2013). 1984 GEORGE ORWELL. Revista Letras Raras, 1(1), 109-115.