“It has been said that 1984 is the figment
of the imagination of a dying
man” (Deutscher, 1995) 1984 is the story of
a man who is the John Doe of
society. His internal struggle is told as an
unknown dark presence regards the
reader. Orwell’s words are clear and frank,
and he forces the reader’s mind
to envision a world where even thoughts are
against the law. Orwell warns us of
our fate and urges us to change our ways in his
satire of totalitarianism.
Orwell introduces us to a world of pain and
suffering, a world that may
someday be our own. The reader feels that there
is a dark force
watching him, reading his thoughts. This darkness
is only hinted at, but
Orwell wants us to know how truly terrible it is.
If we, the inhabitants of the
Earth, don’t heed his premonitions, then the
darkness may overtake us. Then
no one will be happy but those in power. This
tale warns us through the life
of a common man who is a slave to his government
of Oceania, a.k.a. the Party.
“[Winston Smith] is a twentieth century Everyman--thirty-nine,
unattractive, plodding along in just job, his
life a drab, colorless, meaningless
existence.” (Magill, 1979) The novel begins
with the pain Smith faces every
morning, and chronicles his daily routine which
should be boring, but is rather interesting because it is a look into
the mind of a man who hates the Party,
even life, but is powerless to fight. Orwell
gives a firsthand account of
Smith’s life, and the story begins to climax
as Smith and his young lover Julia
make a private demonstration against the Party,
in a place where they think
that the Party doesn’t exist. This book
strains to tell of the inner struggles of
two people, how the cruel government twists them
into love of the Party
and all the Party’s rules. This story has no
happy ending. Instead it’s
realistic, giving the reader a glimpse at how
terrible some people can
be. “If you want a picture of the future,
imagine a boot stamping on the
human face--forever.” (Orwell, 1949)
Orwell’s writing style is neither original
or unique. While he tells us of
horror and sadness, he speaks in a
matter-of-factly way, as if the reader
should have expected what happened. At the same
time, the reader
understands everything that is said. This novel
is written from the point of
view of an omnipresent narrator that follows
Smith around, documenting what Smith does and
thinks. Orwell wants the reader to think. He
presents ideas that are puzzling
and he doesn't explain everything.
“Who controls the past controls the present,
and who controls the
present controls the future.” (Orwell, 1949)
Winston Smith will live on
forever as a portrayal of everything that is
wrong with the world. Though he
is only a character in a story, he is a tool that
shows us what could happen.
Orwell’s premonitions are ominous. His
book will make
the world think for many years to come.