By George Orwell
75th Anniversary Edition
© 2017, Mariner Books
ISBN: 978-1328869333
304 pages
Winston Smith is a cog in the nation of Oceania, where the IngSoc Party rules everyone and everything, and Big Brother is always watching. There is no place you can go, no word you can say, no secret you can keep that Big Brother and the Party will not find out. Winston is skilled at keeping his anti-Party thoughts and his hatred of Big Brother to himself. It’s well known that no one wins in a struggle against the Party. Big Brother always wins. Yet Winston is convinced he can stay true to the truth–especially since he is one of the few who knows what that is.
I decided late last year to read at least six banned books in 2024. George Orwell’s “1984” was my first choice because it’s said to be the most banned or challenged book of all time in the U.S. due to its sexual content and its “pro-communism” message. Let me address each of those things before I speak about the story.
First, yes. There is sexual content, but it’s of a variety that pales in comparison with sexual content in more modern books. Sex does happen, and it happens on the page, but it’s glossed over, summarized, included to show that Winston and his love Julia are giving IngSoc the finger even as they express their feelings for one another. While Winston is married, he hasn’t seen his wife in years, and couldn’t divorce her even if he knew where she was. So, personally, I consider the “sexual content” a non-issue.
Second, I can’t really see how 1984’s story is “pro-communism,” but I’ll leave that to your own judgment. Oceania is a totalitarian state, where the government rules everything, even individuals’ relationships to one another. The Party has broken apart even the most essential connections people need to have with one another, and every human being in the Party is isolated from everyone else by suspicion, distrust, and fear. I feel like this book is more of a threat to established governing systems, especially in various nations in today’s world, because of its similarity to what we see happening around us every single day. While the IngSoc party officials claim that they destroyed the awful, leeching “capitalist” system that made individual lives meaningless and miserable, they are themselves doing the exact same things, only with greater fervor and far less mercy.
My spousal unit told me he’d read this book years ago and warned me that it’s depressing. He was right. It is. But… BUT… it makes us take a hard look and really see the world around us. The narrative, a close 3rd person perspective, all comes through Winston’s thoughts, experiences, views, and actions. In fact, much of the story takes place in Winston’s head as he thinks his rebellious thoughts, then follows through to the logical conclusions of what might happen if it were known he were thinking such things, etc. He is quite observant, noticing things that should be ignored, and becoming even more endangered each time. It was a fascinating read.
Sometimes, the harshest truths are the ones we most need to see. That said, I admit that this is not a happy read. I was left thoughtful, not sad but a bit grimmer than before. 1984 is not for everyone, but maybe it should be. If we could see the “worst” in action, maybe we could avoid it in our own, real world. Highly recommended.