1984

Orwell, George. 1984. 1983. 314p. ISBN 0-15-166038-7. Available at FIC ORW on the library shelves.

The Party and the government of Oceania are one. There is only one Party, and the Party provides for everyone. Big Brother is the face of the Party and of the State, and he encourages people to work hard to support the Party and Oceania against its enemies, Eastasia and Eurasia, both superpowers like Oceania. Winston Smith is a member of the Outer Party, the organization that supports the Party and implements its directives. As a worker in the Ministry of Truth, Winston’s job is to modify news report and articles so that they always match what the Party has said. Thus, if the Party predicted five years ago that the number of boots produced would be up by 5% but was down by 2%, it is Winston’s job to make sure that the newspaper reports from five years ago reflect the 2% decrease and not the 5% increase. This ensures that the Party is always right.

Winston is very dissatisfied with his life. Big Brother is spying on all of the population and the Thought Police is very active making sure everyone conforms to the Party’s ideals. When Winston meets Julia, he suddenly feels hope and love rekindled in his heart, and they begin secretly dating in a seedy part of town to escape Big Brother’s surveillance. As their relationship grows, so does their hate of the Party and of Big Brother. Encourage to join a seditious group, both of them forget that Big Brother is always watching. Caught and made to confront their worst fear by the Ministry of Love, can Winston and Julia’s love triumph over the totalitarian Party?

Read a review of the graphic novel adaptation of 1984 here.