Midway Review: 1984

            In my first post about 1984, I shared the following comment, written on the back of the book about both this story and Brave New World; they are “not dramas of what life might be…but nightmares of what it is becoming.”  As I’ve been reading this book, I’ve become so engrossed in the story that sometimes I forget the context in which it was written.  The year 1984 already happened.  Thirty years ago.  The “future” in this story is the past for me.  Even though this is the case, it isn’t cause for celebration, because there are still lessons to be learned from Orwell’s skillfully written book.

            Although I knew the general premise of the novel, I didn’t picture that it would have such an (at times) introverted perspective.  The reader gets to take a good look into the mind of Winston Smith, the primary protagonist.  He ponders some hefty questions, like what it means to think, and why the past is so crucial for the present and the future.  There are many conflicts that arise throughout the plot, and Smith offers an interesting angle.  He remarks “that in moments of crisis one is never fighting against an external enemy but always against one’s own body” (86).  In a world so filled with eavesdropping, dictatorial, unyielding authorities, to place the burden of getting through a tough situation on oneself is remarkable, to say the least.

            I think this is where a lot of people nowadays fall short.  We are so quick to place the blame on others that we forget to question our own actions.  America erupted when revelations about the NSA’s bulk collection of data were leaked, but it seems like a lot of people forgot to put the government’s actions into context.  It is the government’s duty to protect us, and if we feel so strongly about privacy, why is it that scores of people still continue to post revealing pictures and raucous messages for the world to see?

            If anything, 1984 has taught me so far to not only be aware of what’s around you, but also to be aware of what’s in you.  The Party maintains control by seeping not only into the homes of citizens, but also into their minds.  I pride myself in being able to think freely, and while it’s not quite “1984” in America right now, it is in other parts of the world.  People who cannot exercise a fundamental right to think freely must surely question the force oppressing them, but if they have nothing with which to compare their lives, do they in fact challenge their predicament?  For me, this is where a major piece of the book comes in.  “Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them” (176).  Around the world, people live in unfortunate situations, and may often want to deny what’s happening to them, but if that is their reality, they may also have to accept and deal with it.

            The story is fictional, but it is written with such impeccable attention to detail that at times I find myself believing (to my dismay) that our world may one day become in some way or another like that in 1984.  And the story is, after all, about this world, so while characters and conflicts are made up, geopolitical, philosophical, and economic references make the novel seem less like a story and more like a firsthand account of reality.

            Although 1984 was written a while ago, it still contains valuable concepts.  Usually books that are filled with morals end on a slightly upbeat note (at least based on my experience as a reader).  However, this book seems to be drained of any hope, and I imagine it will end in a blunt, horrific way.  Despite a potentially dark ending, I am still looking forward to finishing this book.  Check back for my final analysis on 1984!