“1984” by George Orwell – The British Nostradamus
Humanity’s future is far from being certain or etched in stone, which is actually quite hopeful and downright frightening at the same time; things could get better, but it seem as if human nature would like for them to get worse.
George Orwell has become one of the most renowned and respected authors in the entire world, and 1984 is arguably his most widely-recognized work. As some of you may already know, in 1984 Orwell depicts in a novelized fashion what he believes the future may look like considering the human nature.
How exactly did he see the future? Well, to put it as simply as possible, he predicted a dystopian society ruled by bureaucracy and the government, where all citizens are repressed with their thoughts and actions being controlled, either directly or influenced in subtle but powerful ways. Of course, the book isn’t simply a description of daily life in a bureaucratic purgatory… rather, it tells the story of a man whose job is to burn books, and how he becomes disillusioned with the world upon having a heated encounter with a certain lady.
How exactly did he see the future? Well, to put it as simply as possible, he predicted a dystopian society ruled by bureaucracy and the government, where all citizens are repressed with their thoughts and actions being controlled, either directly or influenced in subtle but powerful ways. Of course, the book isn’t simply a description of daily life in a bureaucratic purgatory… rather, it tells the story of a man whose job is to burn books, and how he becomes disillusioned with the world upon having a heated encounter with a certain lady.
Before talking about the story, its pace or the characters, I’d just like to take a moment and appreciate the amount of work and detail Orwell put into this novel. He went ahead and created a whole new world with its own functions, morals and values, where there are countless details we, the readers, probably never noticed. He even went as far as creating an evolution for the English language, giving it distortions which, in structure, are not too different from the way in which we speak today.
More importantly though, he developed upon the technological marvels of his time (such as the television… remember, it was written in 1948) and predicted their roles in society. For instance, the afore-mentioned television became a central point in the lives of normal citizens.
As far as the story goes, it goes at a relatively moderate pace, with Orwell taking all the chances he could get to breathe a bit more and realism into that unsettling world. There are some very interesting events as well as twists and turns, but from what I felt, it was more about Orwell’s concern for humanity’s future rather than the plotline.
I guess it could be classified as a book centered on character development; the really interesting part is seeing how our protagonists and antagonists live their daily lives and how they react to turbulent changes. In the end, I’d go as far as saying that the society itself is the most important character.
I think that the age we live in today is the perfect on to read this novel (or re-read it, as the case may be), mainly due to one thing: Orwell was pretty much right. There is a certain tendency in today’s world: governments keeping track of their citizens. The British were known to be doing it with the help of street cameras for decades now (Big Brother is indeed watching you), and now it was revealed that the NSA spies on virtually all American citizens.
More importantly though, he developed upon the technological marvels of his time (such as the television… remember, it was written in 1948) and predicted their roles in society. For instance, the afore-mentioned television became a central point in the lives of normal citizens.
As far as the story goes, it goes at a relatively moderate pace, with Orwell taking all the chances he could get to breathe a bit more and realism into that unsettling world. There are some very interesting events as well as twists and turns, but from what I felt, it was more about Orwell’s concern for humanity’s future rather than the plotline.
I guess it could be classified as a book centered on character development; the really interesting part is seeing how our protagonists and antagonists live their daily lives and how they react to turbulent changes. In the end, I’d go as far as saying that the society itself is the most important character.
I think that the age we live in today is the perfect on to read this novel (or re-read it, as the case may be), mainly due to one thing: Orwell was pretty much right. There is a certain tendency in today’s world: governments keeping track of their citizens. The British were known to be doing it with the help of street cameras for decades now (Big Brother is indeed watching you), and now it was revealed that the NSA spies on virtually all American citizens.
If something isn’t done about it, we will be getting closer and closer to Orwell’s version of the future, and that’s a world I’m sure nobody wants to live in. If you are interested in ideas and philosophies revolving around the concept of human society, 1984 should be a mandatory read for you.
 | George Orwell |
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