Nineteen Eighty-Four
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Date
1949
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Publisher
Secker & Warburg
Abstract
The book is set in a dystopian world in Oceania. There, every action, movement and spoken word is observed by a set of screens, which are there to assure that no one has ideas that can contradict the system’s beliefs, therefore monitoring citizens' every move.
Throughout the reading, it becomes clear the division of the society in 3 very distinct parts. The Inner Party, which is an elite that represents approximately 2% of the population, are the most powerful and wealthy people, the biggest supporters of the system. They control the state’s policies, propaganda, and enforcement. They are the ones that are able to enjoy the biggest benefits, such as having better food, housing and personal freedom. The second group is called the Outer Party. People in that group are the middle class, in which the main character, Winston, fits in. They are responsible for carrying out the Party's day-to-day functions and implementing its policies. Due to the importance of their jobs, they are heavily surveillanced, having very little freedom and always being under the eyes of the Thought Police, which results in living under constant fear. The last group is named ‘The Proles’. They are the majority of Population and live in poverty. Due to being seen as powerless and being kept in the ignorance, they aren’t considered as a threat so they aren’t subjects of such intense surveillance.
The story follows the life of Winston, a character that secretly hates the Big Brother, the figurehead of the Party, representing absolute authority despite being unclear if he actually exists or not. Nevertheless, slogans such as "Big Brother is watching you" are used to enforce loyalty and obedience. Despite working for the Party, Winston secretly questions the Party’s power and goes on a personal journey to try to identity people who could share the same ideas and beliefs as his. His personal rebellion starts with the writing of a secret journal in where he confides in, and lead on to creating a secret relationship with a character named Julia, someone who is also secretly unhappy with the world they live in. Through mandatory actions such as editing and rewriting History, which Winston has a role in, along with the existence of Thought Police (which has to job of identifying and eliminating dissents), the population lives in a constant feeling of fear and paranoia. Such rules were created by the most powerful people in order to maintain control over the population, embodying slogans such as "War is peace," "Freedom is slavery," and "Ignorance is strength."
Towards the end of the novel, Winston and Julia are caught and arrested due to their actions against the system. They are separated, where, in private, they are tortured and brainwashed by O'Brien, a high-ranking Party member who pretended to be an ally. Eventually this leads to Winston’s ultimate betrayal of his beliefs and of Julia, showing the Party’s success in breaking the human spirit. The novel ends with Winston’s complete submission to the Party, despite his strong feelings in the beginning of it. He has been, against his will, reprogrammed to love Big Brother, which illustrates the terrifying extent of the regime's ability to destroy individuality and resistance.