Review of 1984 by George Orwell

1984 by George Orwell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Of course 1984 is a classic of dystopian, science-fiction literature. It is dark and depressing and as a story it doesn't disappoint. It was written in 1948, on the heels of the fall of the Third Reich, and in the midst of the anti-Communist fervor, and in the aftermath of the development of the atomic bomb. It posits a world where totalitarianism has reached a pinnacle of success across the globe, with three autocratic governments at perpetual war, in order to divert economic consumption from the people. It is a haunting reminder of what humanity's drive for power is capable of.

Winston Smith is old enough to remember all the things that the totalitarian government wants him to forget. And the government is really good at knowing that. He must find a way to survive in a world that he can't keep up with, to love for pleasure's sake where pleasure is forbidden. Can he beat the system, or is the government so powerful that he is doomed? And is brief happiness worth the high risk of the torture that will result from his efforts? And can anyone really be programmed to hate romantic love? Given sufficient technology, can the government succeed in blunting basic human nature? 1984 shows us a vision of a world where power exists for its own sake and on what cost to society it will require to achieve it. Humans have instinctive and inherent drives. Can the drive for power extinguish all of the others? And whether or not that is true, what will happen in the attempt?

Read 1984 as a powerful reminder of the dangers of modern society. Read it as a great and tragic love story. Read it as a haunting, horrifying tale of a trapped existence. But don't read it if you need something upbeat, light, and uplifting. It's not that kind of novel.




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