A reflection on 1984, by George Orwell
Where do I start.
Every now and then I come across a book so intricate in its composition, so dense in its wisdom, and so daring in its scope, that upon attempting to synthesize it in a reflection I’m only left with four pathetic words:
Where do I start.
Constant surveillance, restriction of thought, and constant wars. These are just a few of the characteristics of this negative Utopia portrayed in 1984. We see this world through the eyes of Winston, a worker at the Ministry of Truth whose job is, ironically, to change past newspapers and pieces of literature to be in form with the thinking of the totalitarian party. Winston is the last human on earth. Of course, there are other people; there are workers and soldiers, but he is the last person left that is actually human. He has what most would consider at the time to be insanity: freedom of thought. He questions, doubts, probes, and then eventually conspires against the ruling party. But he is alone, an outcast, a minority of one. He lives in a world under constant surveillance, where even a trembling lip or a rapid heartbeat would be enough for him to get arrested and locked up forever. He lives in a world where Big Brother controls actions, emotions, and even thoughts. He is desperately fighting against a world where the clocks strike thirteen and where he’s expected to believe that 2 + 2 = 5. This novel is incredibly bleak and contains some of the most horrifying and thought-provoking monologues ever written. As characters give impassioned speeches on the nature of man or on how the world should be structured, it feels real and relevant, as if Orwell is weighing the merits of political worldviews through his characters. That’s why I think I loved this book so much. It’s as much a novel as a book on religion or politics or philosophy, that’s because 1984 is not just a novel. It’s a warning, a critique, a prophecy, a philosophical essay, and a political treatise. It is the definite political manifesto of its author, George Orwell.
One of the most impactful quotes for me was Winston’s reflection on the meaning of freedom.
“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”
If one is able to speak about reality in an objective way, then they have freedom. If one is able to say two plus two make four, and the government can’t force you to say otherwise, that is true freedom.
Although the world of 1984 hasn’t come true, George Orwell’s dystopia is just as relevant today as it was in the past. The lessons of truth, reality, and power that Orwell lays out in 1984 are warnings that we should heed today. By showing us a vivid example of what losing our humanity would look like, it should impassion us to hold tight to that humanity and fight for it even harder.