Shortages

[coldplay61]

I have noticed that shortages of certain things are becoming more and more throughout the book. Right now razors are the big question: Who has some??
Everyone is asking if another comrade "friend" has a razor. What is the purpose of the shortage? How is it in the favor of Big Brother? What was Orwell's point on how this might relate to us someday, or in 1984?

To answer my own question: I thought maybe Orwell was warning us that the government or political leader might be in charge of the market and how much of each product is produced. Almost Lassiaz-farie???

[Dark Muse]

Yes I think that is what the point is. It is about a total control of the govemernt so that they even have a chock hold on the markets, and can control what they people get and how much of it, so there is nothing that is working independently of the govenment or on its own accord.

In a way I think the creating the shoratages is just a way they further establish thier control to the people, as well as thier power, so there can be no mistake as who is in charge.

[Thinkerr]

No, I disagree. The shortages are a symptom of dictator rule. They are a short coming of the government, in that it can't control the supply of items. Orwell is pointing out how dictatorships are not all powerful.

[2_plus_2_isfour]

I guess I don't see where "Thinkerr" is coming from, because I thought that one of the major reasons for Orwell writing this book was to warn us about the overwhelming power of dictatorships? And if that was true, that it was just the incompetence of the government, then why aren't there more things that people can't get their hands on at once? I mean, I know there is always little things like the pots and pans, but I also see "At any given moment there was some necessary article which the Party shops were unable to supply. Sometimes it was buttons, sometimes it was darning wool, sometimes it was shoelaces" To me, this suggests that the article that could not be supplied was singular; one at a time. This says very clearly to me that this is the government controlling yet another aspect of the peoples' lives.