My Personal Take on 1984

[BuggritHall]

Having read this classic book many, many times and in combination with reaching a mature enough age to appreciate it I find myself analysing most parts of 1984. I hope I won't bore everyone rigid but some points I would like to make are:

There is no way geographically that the world would have split into the three superpowers that they did. When you consider virtually the whole of the America's from Mexico southwards were Spanish (and in the case of Brazil, Portuguese) it is inconceivable, to me, how Ingsoc could have firstly converted the South Americas and still kept them as part of Oceania given the problems with language etc. Likewise the nations of central Africa too.

Why on earth would the Thought Police allow Smith to be at large for eight years when O'Brien stresses that a single thought against the Party is the ultimate sin. Surely in such a society, where those in power need no proof, as soon as anyone is perceived to have anti-party thoughts they would be eliminated immediately?

And on to the final part. The way the last page is written says to me that Smith does not actually get executed rather that the moment when he gives himself totally to Big Brother is when he 'dies' as in his former life ends. After all what worse a punishment could there be than living out the rest of your days as nothing but a shell of a human being.

Sorry its so long, and there are many other points but they can wait till later.
Cheers!

[The Atheist]

Having read this classic book many, many times and in combination with reaching a mature enough age to appreciate it I find myself analysing most parts of 1984. I hope I won't bore everyone rigid but some points I would like to make are:

Excellent name!

Let's see what you reckon:

There is no way geographically that the world would have split into the three superpowers that they did. When you consider virtually the whole of the America's from Mexico southwards were Spanish (and in the case of Brazil, Portuguese) it is inconceivable, to me, how Ingsoc could have firstly converted the South Americas and still kept them as part of Oceania given the problems with language etc. Likewise the nations of central Africa too.

It may be that Sth America was conquered rather than accepted Ingsoc. Orwell doesn't make it clear as it's only ancillary to the plot, but since the power base of Ingsoc is USA, it makes sense that they'd protect their borders by taking over the South. (and north, for those stroppy Canucks)

Africa belongs to nobody, being the area that is allegedly disputed by the three powers.

Why on earth would the Thought Police allow Smith to be at large for eight years when O'Brien stresses that a single thought against the Party is the ultimate sin. Surely in such a society, where those in power need no proof, as soon as anyone is perceived to have anti-party thoughts they would be eliminated immediately?

We've covered this a few times, but it makes all the sense in the world. While known as a dissident, Winston can be watched and used as a cats paw to find other dissidents. It worked. Also, it may have taken from the start until the flat with Julia to find his Achilles heel - RATS!

And on to the final part. The way the last page is written says to me that Smith does not actually get executed rather that the moment when he gives himself totally to Big Brother is when he 'dies' as in his former life ends. After all what worse a punishment could there be than living out the rest of your days as nothing but a shell of a human being.

Again, we've done this one a few times - the bullet is metaphorical and W does indeed survive past the last page.

Note that it isn't a living death because he now loves BB and is happy to the point of tears. What you don't know, you don't miss and his rational mind has been utterly destroyed.

Sorry its so long, and there are many other points but they can wait till later.
Cheers!

Bring 'em on! I think we've scared everyone else off going by the lack of volume around here in the past year or so.

[jocky]

It takes more than a ' jackboot in the face ' to scare Jocky off. Everyone knows that two plus two equals five when torture is being applied. Winston is F....d at every turn, just like the rest of us. The whole point of 1984 is, Orwell is saying, it does not have to be this way, but paradoxically it does. Scary stuff but well worth reading.

[Gladys]

...as soon as anyone is perceived to have anti-party thoughts they would be eliminated immediately?

Immediate elimination seems more applicable to dissident Proles.

The way the last page is written says to me that Smith does not actually get executed...

The eventual execution of Outer Party dissidents is probable, since we are repeatedly told: 'Jones, Aaronson, and Rutherford men who were executed'. These men, or rather 'only the shells of men', were seen only once by Winston saw at the Chestnut Tree Cafe. In [I]1984[I] we meet so few re-educated Outer Party dissidents.