1984

(pub. 1949)

Webmaster's Note, 5/10/2007 - We have been informed by the rights holder that this work is still copyrighted in our territory. So we have removed it. You may still read our original summary though to the left.

Also commonly titled as Nineteen Eighty-Four

1984 is possibly the definitive dystopian novel, set in a world beyond our imagining. A world where totalitarianism really is total, all power split into three roughly equal groups--Eastasia, Eurasia, and Oceania. 1984 is set in Oceania, which includes the United Kingdom, where the story is set, known as Airstrip One.

Winston Smith is a middle-aged, unhealthy character, based loosely on Orwell's own frail body, an underling of the ruling oligarchy, The Party. The Party has taken early 20th century totalitarianism to new depths, with each person subjected to 24 hour surveillance, where people's very thoughts are controlled to ensure purity of the oligarchical system in place. Figurehead of the system is the omnipresent and omnipotent Big Brother.

But Winston believes there is another way.

1984 joins Winston as he sets about another day, where his job is to change history by changing old newspaper records to match with the new truth as decided by the Party.

"He who controls the past, controls the future" is a Party slogan to live by and it gives Winston his job, but Winston cannot see it like that. Barely old enough to recall a time when things were different, he sets out to expose the Party for the cynically fraudulent organisation that it is. He is joined by Julia, a beautiful young woman much in contrast with Winston physically, but equally sickened by the excesses of her rulers.

You will meet many recognisable characters, themes, and words which have become part of our everyday life as you read 1984. Where did Big Brother first appear? Certainly not on Australian TV! Written in Orwell's inimitable journalistic style, 1984 is a tribute to a man who saw the true dangers of historian Lord Acton's (1834-1902) statement: "Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely." -- Submitted by The Atheist.

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As Winston said, even if you are a minority of one it does not make you wrong.--Submitted by Anonymous.

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Winston Smith lives in a world very unlike the world of his forefathers. There have been atomic wars just thirty years in the past and some of his memories seem clouded as Winston is filled with doubt, almost as if the events did not happen at all. Winston feels he must put these thoughts down on paper or they will be forgotten forever. However,such a task is forbidden by the state controlled government. Winston decides to write his journal anyway. What transpires next in the novel is at the heart of what makes men able to exist with some degree of hope for the future. Winston's world is a very hopeless, unfriendly place.--Submitted by Tom Hickman.

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Orwell provides compelling reasons for the people of the 21st century to, much as we did in the 60's, question authority. Winston holds these thoughts dear but because of how society has been allowed to evolve he must be careful with even his own thoughts. You'll go with him as he meets Julia and as, against all odds, develops a relationship. Surprises abound in this unique and, at the time it was written, futuristic look at a world that has allowed itself to be taken over by an entity that we know even today as Big Brother. You'll find yourself asking how this man who wrote the novel in 1948 could possibly have such foresight into what would evolve into the world as we know it today. Similarities between life as we know it and life as Orwell foresaw abound. The book will cause you to look around yourself and question the policies of our government and the policies of global governments and how they impact our daily life. Definitely a compelling read !--Submitted by Anonymous.

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Recent Forum Posts on 1984

Is O'Brien sane by our society's standards?

There are conflicting parts of the book that keep me from making a solid conclusion about this, but First let us establish that Winston is also sane by our society's standards. -When O'Brien is torturing Winston, he tells him that Winston's mind reminds him of his own, except that Winston is insane - When he is interrogating Winston earlier, he seems very convinced, with an air of confidence, that everything he says about the party being omniscient and all of that is true. But Winston still clings to his own truly correct memories. - But when Winston is in O'Brien's house, he seems completely aware about how evil and corrupt The Party is and how they need to be taken down. So, even though he is lying, O'Brien denounces the party and is sane enough to come up with the thoughts, yet, based on Winston's words when he is tortured, O'Brien seems completely certain that the party is all-knowing and all-powerful. Which is not sane by our society's standards.

Posted By arknd at Thu 21 Mar 2013, 7:57 PM in 1984 || 5 Replies

Overall impressions of the novel

Orwell's novel has been one of the most scrutinized in all of literature. It is also one of the prominent works of literature featured on banned book lists in the United States. The novel is also regarded as one of the most important pieces and should be studied by students thoughout the world. Additionally, 1984 is a novel which should be read more than once. Young readers should visit it again in a decade or so. You will find your perspective and interpretations may have changed. It is always interesting to hear what 1st-time readers think of the novel. Please share your overall, specific impressions of the novel. :ihih:

Posted By Teacher at Tue 27 Nov 2012, 10:28 AM in 1984 || 27 Replies

I would Like opinions...

The bald skeleton-like man in the cell at The Ministry Of Love does not want to go in room 101 what-so-ever. So much so that he offers to give up his family to be murdered. The question is, how does the man know what it is like in room 101? Has he been there before or what? I would like to hear your opinions, I am curious to see what you think. :wink5:

Posted By Honorstudent at Wed 21 Nov 2012, 7:36 AM in 1984 || 0 Replies

Winston

It's so easy for us to judge this book, and the entire theme of the novel. I myself keep asking how the population of Oceania could possibly just give in and worship big brother. What I think we keep forgetting is its all the people have ever known. They don't know what it's like to have freedom, to love, or question things. Big brother tells them something and that's it. They don't question further, even when it's human nature. My question is if most of the people of Oceania love B.B., why is it Winston hates them? Everyone is raised without feelings so why does Winston have feelings towards big brother that most other don't have?

Posted By pouncingrats at Tue 20 Nov 2012, 8:48 PM in 1984 || 1 Reply

Room 101 Reactions

Room 101 is an extreme place of interrogation. What makes it unusual is that it's different for everyone. What I found quite interesting is how people react to the mention of Room 101. As we saw in the back, most people stayed quiet and obeyed the guards, but we saw one man lose control of himself and break down. The skull-faced man flung himself to his knees and begged the officers to not take him to Room 101. He also mentioned that he had been starved for weeks, and told the guards everything he knows. It amazes me how the skull-faced man tells the guards to take his wife and three children and cut their throats in front of him and he will watch. It is as if the skull-faced man had stopped loving them. Even though Room 101 is different for everyone, you can can't even imagine what someone has for their Room 101 for them to beg for their family to be killed in front of them.

Posted By imsophatdoe at Tue 20 Nov 2012, 5:45 PM in 1984 || 4 Replies

Government

I can't help but think there is a sort of ignorance in the Party. The Party wants total control of the population. They have done so (expect the few like Winston and Julia.) They say they are trying to cure him (Winston) after he is brought to the Minestry of Love and is troutured. But after the Party has total control over everybody(including the few people that are agianst Big Brother) what do they have to control? O'Brian says that if everybody is ignorant then the Party will rule forever without retaliation. What I am have trouble understaning is the fact that if everybody is ignorent then the people will not be hard to govern. So what is the point in governing people who are in a sense brain washed? After a point of total control what is there? They will have to find somthing new to satify there need for power. :confused5:

Posted By WinterGirl0502 at Sun 18 Nov 2012, 7:51 PM in 1984 || 0 Replies

Proles and Party Members.

George Orwell makes mention of proles and party members several times in the book. He also state that the proles are loyal to the Party. My confusion is what is the real difference between proles and party members?

Posted By jujufishy at Fri 16 Nov 2012, 5:34 AM in 1984 || 1 Reply

Prole Song

"It was only an 'opless fancy, It passed like an Ipril dye, But a look an' a word an' the dreams they stirred They 'ave stolen my 'eart awye!" These are the lyrics of a song that was sung by a prole woman on multiple occasions in the book. Winston takes notice of this woman who is absentmindedly singing this song while hanging up laundry. Winston believes that the proles have retained their humanity, whereas many members of the party have not. Party members would never be found doing something this mundane. However, what confounds me is not the fact that this woman is singing, but rather the lyrics to the song. The song is said to have been "published for the benefit of the proles by a sub-section of the Music Department." Yet, the song lyrics talk about hopes and dreams. Hope is one of the most powerful things in the world, so why would a government that has a desire for complete control publish a song about hope? And later on in the novel, Winston notes the woman singing the same song again, and also how this song has outlived the "Hate Song" which was also written for the proles. Is Orwell trying to send a message about the general good in humans? It doesn't seem like a terribly 'Orwellian' concept. Am I just reading too far into the book?

Posted By Proletariat at Thu 15 Nov 2012, 8:28 PM in 1984 || 5 Replies

"Mr.Charrington"

I was shocked when I read pages 182-185 in the novel 1984. I did not suspect that Mr.Charrington was actually a member of the Thought Police. I also didn't foresee that there was a telecreen secretly hidden behind the picture on the wall, that previously was going to be cleaned by Julia. The essential qustion is how could he morally do such a thing? I believe that it was very harsh and currupt but it gave the book an exciting yet unforntunate twist in the story.

Posted By prettyprincess at Thu 15 Nov 2012, 6:19 PM in 1984 || 3 Replies

How fragile history really is

One of the more interesting points Orwell makes in the course of the novel deals with history and how easily manipulated it is. Winston spends much of his time early on searching for the fundamental question: Were things better off before the revolution? No one knows. No one has any fundamental knowledge of the past. In essence Orwell points out how important history is in measuring the present. Additionallty, Orwell clearly points out how fragile history is when we see Winston rewriting it so effortlessly. In doing so, he simply throws the truth down the memory hole. Historian and author David McCullough recently said that today's young people are "historically illiterate". It is something Orwell clearly warned us about decades ago. More importantly, Orwell is asking to look at history through several different lenses.

Posted By Teacher at Tue 13 Nov 2012, 4:56 PM in 1984 || 2 Replies

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1984

(pub. 1949)

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