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Book Review. Summary
The book 1984 is divided into 3 parts, Books 1, 2, and 3. As expected the novel begins in book 1 and in this first section, we are introduced to the main character, Winston Smith. The book begins with Winston returning home to his depressive, cold, and run-down apartment. As Winston returns home, he is greeted by a poster stating, ‘Big Brother is watching you’. From the beginning of the book, the context is drawn out clearly and the setting is built up instantly, showing that Winston is a low-ranking party official and is subject to high degree levels of observation and subsequent persecution. As such we are told that in his apartment there is a ‘telescreen’ present a device that monitors those who are present as well as constantly broadcasting propaganda to whoever is in its vicinity. Winston’s rebellion against the state is shown instantly as it is noted that he makes an effort to avoid the path of the telescreen.
The plot begins with Winston buying an old diary from an antique shop in the part of town where the ‘proles’ are present. The proles are a lowly underclass of the population which the state and their enforcers (The Thought Police) consider to be a waste of time and effort to deal with. In his apartment, Winston hides in a corner away from the observation of the telescreen and as he is lost in a daydream begins to write in the diary. After a while, he notices he has copied out the phrase ‘DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER’ multiple times. At this moment as he regains self-awareness, he knows that through this action he is guilty of a ‘thought crime’ and knows that this seemingly minor act is now a dangerous game of rebellion against the state and ruling party.
As the book progresses Winston now realizes, he is addicted to this act of rebellion despite knowing full well this activity will be his downfall. Winston writes in his diary of dreams for rebellion and notes that through the underclass (proles) of society, his rebellion will be successful. Winston also laments on a man named ‘O’Brian’ a ranked party official who Winston believes could be an ally.
By the end of Book One Winston has explored the neighborhoods in which the proles reside yet finds very little to help him picture a world before the party took over. Back in the antique shop in which Winston first brought the diary and is now back to buy a paperweight he is shown by the owner, a room upstairs without a telescreen and a very distinctive picture of a church (a building that represents religion a concept in which the state is hostile towards).
However, on his way home from the shop, Winston is suspicious that his acts of rebellion may have caught up with him and suspects he is being followed by the thought police. As a result, Winston is in fear of being tortured and put to death by the state and subsequently plans his eventual suicide.
In book two we are shown how a relationship between Winston and another member of the ‘outer party’ Julia develops. Winston who noticed the ‘Dark-haired woman’ in book one helps her as she has fallen over at the start of book 2, subsequently in helping Julia get back up she passes him a note that reads ‘I love you’. Winston confused by this random act of affection in a bleak and depressing society immediately suspects Julia to be a spy. Yet in time, the note changes Winston’s plan to kill himself and he and Julia plan a secret meeting in which the relationship develops further.
By chapter 3 of Book Two Winston and Julia rent the room above the antique shop that has no telescreen and a picture of the church. This picture begins to symbolise life before the oppressive state took over and the picture evolves into a type of refuge for Winston to keep his desire of rebellion to continue
In the middle of Book Two the member of the inner party O’Brien whom Winston thought of as a potential ally in Book One contacts Winston. Winston who now begins to realize that he is on a path of suicide in his defiance against the state and ruling party agrees to meet with O’Brien despite being in fear that taking his ideals of rebellion any further will result in him getting himself killed. At this moment in the Book Winston begins to relive his childhood and is traumatised by the events of political struggles in which he left his family behind. Winston now firmly believes he is responsible for his mother’s death.
Along with Winston reliving his past, he and Julia now realize the extent to which they could be tortured and even killed if they carry on the rebellion any further. As such they decide to stop renting the room upstairs from the antique shop, but they soon find out that they cannot stop renting the room. In a moment of desperation and fear Winston and Julia promise to never stop loving each other in the face of potential torture from the state.
In chapter 8 of Book Two Winston and Julia meet with the inner party member O’Brien and confess to him that they are enemies of the party. Yet in chapter 10 of Book 2, while Winston and Julia are in the rented room above the antique shop, a voice speaks to them. Winston and Julia realize the voice is coming from a telescreen positioned behind the picture of the church. Soon after police storm the room and arrest both Julia and Winston. It is now revealed that the owner of the antique shop was not a ‘prole’ but rather an agent of the oppressive thought police.
The Final Book, book 3 is starts with the image of Winston being held captive in a bright prison cell. Winston is shown to have been tortured for a period and again desires of a chance to take his own life. It is at this moment that O’Brien again visits Winston and reveals to him that he was indeed a spy and ultimately baited Winston and Julia to reveal themselves and their intentions for rebellion.
O’Brien states to Winston that the only way to cure him of his rebellious tenancies is through torture. And O’Brien is right torture does begin to turn Winston away from his rebellious past and is subsequently brainwashed to the fact that Winston famously agrees to the statement ‘two and two make five’. However, despite the efforts of brainwashing misery and despair are taking over Winston and now is relentlessly calling out for Julia, as such he regains awareness and again confesses his hatred for ‘Big Brother’.
In chapter 5 of Book 3, Winston’s greatest fear is used against him, rats. As the guards prepare to strap a cage of rats to Winston’s face he gives in and demands for the rats to be strapped to Julia’s face, not his. At this moment O’Brien is satisfied with his work and believes releases Winston. However, Winston is now much different and is in full support of the party and it is told that on future occasions where he sees Julia, he is now disgusted.
Main character analysis
Winston Smith ‘ Named after the famous WW2 prime minister Winston Churchill is a seemingly ordinary man of 39 years of age. He is a member of the outer party and is employed by the Ministry of Truth. Winston’s rise to prominence is through his heroism yet he doesn’t execute his plans effectively enough to surpass the all-knowing forces of the thought police. Seen foolishly placing his base of operations in a shop owned by a spy as well as documenting every move of his in a forbidden diary. Winston also admires a member of the inner party O’Brien for most of the book, even dreaming about him and believing him to be an ally yet is eventually captured and tortured by this man he looked up to so much. The stark contrast between Winston at the beginning of the book and the character he eventually becomes leaves the reader feeling hopeless for any hopes of improvement in the world of 1984 as displayed by Orwell.
Julia ‘The dark-haired woman’ who Winston believes to be a zealous supporter of Big Brother and the inner party eventually turns out to be an impulsive and loyal girlfriend of Winston. Soon after a ‘secret meeting’ Julia shows Winston her desire for revolution and is shown to be righteous and have a want for justice. Julia does what she does because in her eyes it is the right thing to do. Yet like Winston by the end of the book and with both characters being held captive for periods of time, she is indifferent to Winston, and by the end not only has her desire for revolution been forgotten but also her love for Winston.
Big Brother is the mysterious, all-knowing, and ever-observant leader of the totalitarian society depicted in the book 1984. He is not once seen in the flesh but is rather present in the millions of posters stating, ‘Big Brother is watching you’ and only the telescreen broadcasting propaganda. Big Brother inspires an equal amount of fear and paranoia but also seems to gather plenty of loyalty love and support from his subjects. It is clear in the book that Big Brother is a fictious character in the realm of 1984 seen in how at the end O’Brien dodges questions that Winston asks him. Nevertheless, the entity that is Big Brother is an intimating concept and was intended by Orwell to represent real-life figures that existed when he was writing the book.
O’Brien is an intelligent and charming high-ranking member of the inner party who captivates Winston’s desires for rebellion and twists them against him ultimately being the deciding factor in converting Winston from a dissident to a model citizen. Yet amongst all the torture and sabotage he commits to Winston, he is noted to respect the character Winston due to the intellectual challenge he brings throughout the Book.
Impressions and Opinions in “1984”
The dystopian Novel by George Orwell is not a happy story and neither has a happy ending nor beginning. Each character whether a real person or a non-real entity in the world of 1984 plays a role and is affected by one another. The protagonist Winston is used as a tool to push the limits of freedom in the world of 1984 and subsequently as he steps too far is pushed back and reverted to a model citizen, this event also happens to his girlfriend Julia, this shows the power of the state and how the inner party has complete control and serves as a metaphor that many of the themes of mass media control, government surveillance, totalitarianism and how a dictator can manipulate and control history, thoughts, and lives in such a way that no one can escape it are an unfortunate reality for both the fictional world of 1984 but also disturbingly is a reality for much of the human population today and throughout history who are forced to live under similar restrictions and measures. Yet their reality is not fiction but a real-life occurrence.
Overall Orwell’s 1984 is a depressing, yet addictive read. This is because much of what is displayed are real-life things rather than fictional events and the constant oppression shown in 1984 is a reality for many across the globe.
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