Book Summary- 1984 (George Orwell)

“Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrimeliterally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it.”

George Orwell wrote1984in 1949. The dystopian novel is set in 1984 - Orwell's near future and our recent past - but the novel is still relevant today, due to its depiction of a totalitarian government and its themes of using media manipulation and advanced technology to control people.

Winston Smith lives in London, but not the London we know. Instead of being a part of England,1984's London is part of Oceania, one of the three huge governments that exist in the book's world. Oceania is controlled by a powerful and mysterious elite. The government, referred to as 'Big Brother,' uses cameras and listening devices to constantly observe all of its citizens. There is also a secret police force dedicated to reporting both rebellious thoughts and general misbehavior to the appropriate authorities.

For the most part, Winston is a typical cog in the machine. He works at the Ministry of Truth, but he has a very low-ranking position. His job is tedious and involves altering records to promote the government's version of history.

Winston has a few problems with the government. To begin with, he does not buy into all of the propaganda he is fed. Some of the things he reads or hears contradict with his memories. For example, the government claims that they are at war against Eurasia, but Winston remembers being at war with Eastasia.

Winston also has a vision: he does not want to live under such a repressive government. He commits tiny acts of rebellion. He starts to keep a diary, and he begins to look for allies. This is a dangerous task, since Big Brother is always watching.

Despite his desire to rebel, Winston thinks he will be discovered soon by the Thought Police, the secret police force that searches for and punishes members of society that dare to even question how the government is run. The Thought Police also run a fake underground resistance in an attempt to discover rebellious Party members.

Then, Winston meets Julia at work. Despite the danger of exposing himself to a potentially fake rebel, Winston reveals his true thoughts to Julia. Julia turns out to be a rebel, too. The two start an affair, which is illegal in their country, especially because Julia is a member of the Junior Anti-Sex League. Winston and Julia share a mutual dream of a world free from war and oppression.

O'Brien, another rebel, befriends Winston and Julia. He invites them over to his place. Unfortunately, O'Brien turns out to be one of the Thought Police working undercover. He has spent the last seven years watching Winston for rebellious tendencies. O'Brien busts them with the help of Mr. Charrington, a man from whom Winston and Julia rented a secret room to conduct their affair.

Winston and Julia are separated, and Winston is tortured. Winston resists all the torture until he is sent to Room 101 where O'Brien straps a cage of rats to his head. Winston, terrified of rats, begs O'Brien to torture Julia instead. O'Brien stops torturing Winston. In fact, he even releases him back into society. By making Winston betray Julia, O'Brien succeeded in destroying his spirit. Grateful at being released, Winston is completely recommitted to Big Brother and no longer has any feelings for Julia.