1984 - an analysis

'1984' is a dystopian novel, where Orwell tried to show the possible negative effects of totalitarianism. Orwell projects these flaws from Winston Smith's perspective, the protagonist.

Orwell has set his plot in a negatively idealistic country of Oceania. The totalitarian government there, or the Party, controls every little thing in the country, not to mention the bigger issues as well. It prohibits free thought, personal relationships, and expression of thoughts in any form. In other words, it denies any individuality of the citizens. The Party eliminates any person or group that refuses to abide by the laws or tries to oppose the party.

Winston is an ordinary man who works for the government, but hates it. He does not like the idea of a totalitarian society, where even the thoughts of people are controlled. Human reasoning power, along with all other things, is in the hand of the government too. We see a point where the people are made to believe that 2+2 actually equals to 5, and nobody protests.

Winston never openly protests to the government, but writes his thoughts down on a diary. Along with his lover, Julia, he accumulates 'thoughts' against the government. However, he soon gets caught by the Thought Police. His brain is washed by the government on its support, and in the end when winston was to be punished, he pleads the government to spare him and punish Julia instead - all his love and affection for Julia are gone; he has now become a part of dystopia.

To me, the story line was very well set. The themes of the story are honestly to be praised. There were a few things that I could not understand at first, but Sparknotes served my interest there. For instance, I had little clue about what Big Brother represented; now I know that the name was impostered by the party to create a feeling of warmth and protection among the nation's subject.

I still am not sure how to interprete Winston. Many say that Orwell has named Winston from Winston Churchill, but his last name, Smith, represents the commoners. It might be true. Nevertheless, I appreciate Winston's tendancy to oppose the Party, and I don't blame him for his change in character towards the end - he was evidently brainwashed.

The story was a good read. However, I still prefer Orwell's "Animal Farm" to "1984". I personally would rate "1984" and 8 out of 10.