Nineteen Eighty-Four

Contributed by Tyger, grade 12, March 2017

 “The choice of mankind lies between freedom and happiness and for the great bulk of mankind, happiness is better.”
- Nineteen Eighty-Four

Nineteen Eighty-Four is a dystopian novel written in 1949 by George Orwell, author of the classic, Animal Farm. The story surrounds a man named Winston and follows him on his journey of rebellion. The world is divided into three major political powers; Oceania, Eastasia, and Eurasia. All three superstates  are ruled by similar totalitarian systems, a single figure which controls every individual. I use the term individual very loosely, as people are prohibited all acts of personal expression.

Indicators which people in civilized societies use to distinguish themselves from one another are banned, and what citizens perceive as the truth is controlled by the government, specifically the god-like leader of Oceania, Big Brother. From food, to clothing, to newspaper articles, to dictionaries, the state controls not only all which inhabitants consume, but also every aspect of social and economic life. Those who dare to make even the slightest indication of discontent towards the system -- whether these signs are verbal or a mere facial expression of change in mannerisms -- are vaporized, taken away and erased from world history as if they never existed.

  

I will never forget this book. Although the level of control and surveillance which the government has over its inhabitants is an exaggeration, I do notice some parallels between the novel and our society. The part which created the most profound realization of these parallels is when Winston was reading Goldstein's forbidden book, particularly when it speaks about the traditional cycle of power;

“The aim of the high is to remain where they are. The aim of the middle is to change places with the high. The aim of the low, when they have an aim -- for it is an abiding characteristic of the low that they are too much crushed by drudgery to be more than intermittently conscious of anything outside their daily lives -- is to abolish all distinctions and create a society where all men shall be equal. thus, throughout history a struggle which is the same in its main outlines recurs over and over again.” (p. 210).

I will say, however, that Orwell’s  character depiction is incredibly weak. I did not feel empathy for the individuals themselves, but rather for the negative situations in which they were placed. I strongly feel that if Orwell had focused more on Winston’s emotions and mental processes  instead of the hellish societal conditions that he was in, the conclusion of the story might have created an empathetic response. That being said however, the novel’s timeless and impeccably unique subject matter makes up for this lack of character depth.

With the absurd viewpoints and disturbing dystopian take on daily life, Nineteen-Eighty-Four can provoke thoughts about our own society.  I will never forget this book.  It is a timeless classic that will remain relevant to society for centuries to come.

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written by Allora, grade 12, March 2017