1984  (English, Paperback, Orwell George)

1984 A Novel is a dystopian vision of human society. The book has become a classic in literary political fiction.

Summary Of The Book

1984 A Novel, written in the 1940s, is set a few decades in the future, in the 1980s. It begins on April 4, 1984. The central character, Winston Smith, is a member of the Party, that rules the country of Oceania.

Winston is a small cog in the wheel of the Party. It is a totalitarian regime where each individual’s every action at every moment is under constant observation. The leader of the Party is a mysterious figure, just known as Big Brother. And, it is said that the Big Brother is always watching.

Winston has become tired of the controlling ways of the Party. The departments of the government have names that are opposite to the functions they perform. The Ministry of Love deals with law and order, using torture as a vital weapon. The Ministry of Peace is in-charge of war. The Ministry of Truth, where Winston works, has the task of altering truth for propaganda, to twist facts to suit the needs of the Party.
Winston himself has a job of rewriting historical facts in a way that benefits the Party and its agenda. Recently, Winston has begun to record his thoughts against the party in a diary. This is a crime, even thinking thoughts against the party is a Thoughtcrime.

He manages to conceal his diary and carries on his work as usual. He falls in love with a co-worker named Julia, but even love and sex can be construed as crimes in this regime and they have to be careful about their relationship.

The Party has even begun to enforce the use of a new language called Newspeak, in which all words that refer to dissident thoughts and rebellion have been eliminated. The Party does not want even the language to present a means of expressing opposition to themselves.
In this scenario, Winston carries on his life, thinking about the dissident group called The Brotherhood, and wondering if he can join them. He soon gets an opportunity to meet its legendary leader, but the result is not what he expects.

1984 A Novel has come to represent totalitarian or controlling regimes, and many of the word and phrases used in the book like Big Brother, Thoughtcrime, Room 101 and Doublethink have all entered common usage in English since the book was published. Orwellian has now come to be associated with any regime that uses deception and constant monitoring to control its people.

About George Orwell

George Orwell was an English author and journalist.

A Clergyman's Daughter, Coming Up for Air, Down and Out in Paris and London, and Animal Farm are some of his other books.

George Orwell was born in 1903. His original name was Eric Arthur Blair. He worked for a while as a policeman in Burma. Later, he returned to Europe and spent a few years living in London and in Paris, working as a journalist. He later also worked as a teacher and as an assistant at a small bookshop. His first novel, Burmese Days, was first published in the United States. He is considered one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century.