George Orwell's 1984

This is a novel that has had more of an influence on society than any book I know. In a world in which we have turned the idea of 'Big Brother' into entertainment and with high-tech devices such as an Alexa, it is still not proven if they are ease-dropping on our conversations in our homes. Orwell has created a dystopian future which forces people to reject the evidence of their eyes and ears in order to believe what they are told. There is no room for argument, this is the reality and that’s the only truth.

In the fictional place of Oceania where the government controls reality through propaganda and permitting distractions, news articles and books only to display their ‘truth’ and not what is actual fact. The Ministry of Truth makes facts and dates become blurry- the past doesn’t matter as Oceania is great again, despite the poverty felt by most of its occupants.

After reading this novel all I could think about is how did he know? Orwell’s novel was published in 1949 following the end of World War Two. I believe Orwell may have predicted the effects of the Soviet Union in the latter end of 20th century Europe, following the success of Stalin and he honestly felt it could get out of hand and form this Big Brother style world. The effects of Hitler and Stalin must have notably influenced Orwell’s writing as their power only came from their persuasive public speaking, keeping the population frightened with stories and offered scapegoats for their own faults. Thankfully, Nazism collapsed following the death of Hitler and the Allies intervention in Germany and the collapse of communism 1989 stopped the movement from spreading to all of Europe.

The effects of East Berlin is a key example of how the novels protagonist, Winston felt in Oceania. The novel shows how the protagonist's rebellion begins so innocently with the love of a man and a woman which is actually a crime against the Ministry of Truth. They begin their covert affair but Winston is sure they’ll be caught. This novel is all about hiding ones true feelings and flying under the radar. True emotions lead to your spirit being broken and you will be forced to accept the Party. Orwell believed we’d all have to accept the Big Brother eventually.

This book is eerily true with the title being a couple of years before the collapse of communism and the fall of the Berlin wall, which perhaps is a novel foreshadow's a message that fear will never win against hope as it is stronger. Although the basis of this story is perhaps off putting to some, it is a simple love story that has been done multiple times throught literary history. A key example is Romeo and Juliet whose love was forbidden but their subsquent naive passion lead to their tragic downfall. Orwell provided a slither of hope in a tale of such horror and misery in a dystopian reality I hope never becomes our own.