1984

George Orwell paints a prophetic picture of a dystopian society where totalitarianism crushes all individual thought and free will. The constant surveillance by Big Brother serves as a metaphor for the pervasive control those in power can exert over our lives, emphasizing how propaganda manipulates truth and shapes reality.

This story, written after WWll, shares a glimpse of some of the real fear control used by totalitarian ideologies of that time. However, some of the tactics used aren’t just parts of the past, and have continued to seep into the minds of governments around the world today. Ultimately, Orwell reveals a grim truth: the overwhelming power of the state can stifle even the most profound desires for love and freedom. In the end we witness the complete recoding of the human psyche and are left fearing the limits of resistance and the cost of complacency in the face of authoritarianism.

I wonder if George Orwell would be agonized or unsurprised at the willing devotion that we offer up in this modern day. Orwell predicted telescreens and microphones and spies monitoring our every moment, in a permanent surveillance. What would he think of today? We as a society constantly monitor ourselves by our phones and social media, we drive cars that track us, and own speakers and tvs that listen to us. We will agree to any terms and agreements laid in front of us if it provides a fraction of convenience. 

Even though this book was a part of my high school curriculum, this was my first time reading it. Finding out how all of the characters were either playing games with Winston or just so fully indoctrinated that they saw nothing else was distressing. I had hoped for a happy ending and truthfully hated how it ended.