1984 was one of the first classic books I’ve read, and it’s sparked in me a desire to read a series of famous novels. The classic dystopia was written in 1948 by a man named George Orwell. The dystopian novel is probably famous because it takes what actually could happen (and arguably, what already does happen) to an extreme. In 1984, you’re always being watched by a telescreen, and you must pledge loyalty to Big Brother, who is always watching. In 1984, to prevent anyone from commiting crimes against Big Brother, or crime-think, the amount of words in the human dictionary was shortened. The main character in this dystopia is named Winston Smith, a middle aged man with varicose veins.

The first thing I want to talk about in this story is liberty. In 1984, there was a very closed civil society. It’s arguable that there isn’t a civil society at all. To really have one’s own life is impossible without breaking the law. Plus, because of the constant monitoring, anyone breaking the law will almost certainly get caught. Because of this reality, Winston Smith has very few pleasures in life, the most frequent one is from scratching his varicose veins. Then, he goes and buys a notebook with creamy paper, and he wrote on it because it deserved to be written on. He later had a relationship with a woman named Julia, who was much younger than him. Winston also hated Big Brother, and he thought that there must be a time when people didn’t live in the way they lived now. He didn’t remember a time when people could have their own life, but he could feel the inhumanity of his situation. Suggesting a certain desire to be free in all human beings.

Another interesting idea in 1984 is objective truth. Winston works to correct and shred records and accounts of things Big Brother has said. There is a war going on in 1984 between three nations, and alliances are constantly shifting. Winston would have to correct or get rid of all evidence that says the contrary. This way, Big Brother is never wrong. And, to paraphrase what’s in the novel, those who control the present control the past, and those who control the past control the future. What’s interesting about this to me, is that people will have memories of things that contradict what Big Brother claims. However, since they have no evidence, and Big Brother has all the evidence in the world, they will never be right. Most people in 1984 are okay with this though. There is a term called double-think. Double-think is when you believe two contradictory statements, like if you believe that two plus two is four and that it’s five. In 1984, truth changes so often that double-think is typical of everyday life. There is no objective truth, and if there is, it’s whatever Big Brother says.

The last thing I want to talk about is language. In 1984, the english dictionary was shortened to prevent crime-think. That suggests that language and words are powerful tools, and that by having more words, you can express more complex ideas. I said earlier that Winstant blatantly went against the rules of his totalitarian regime. He knew he did, and he knew he would be punished or killed. However, he believes that while no revolution will happen in their lifetime, there must come a day when Big Brother loses. He and Julia were only a small part of that dream. What’s nice is, according to some people’s speculation, Winston was right. The appendix of the book was written in standard English, which goes to show that language, and therefore liberty, was won.