1984 Blog

      At the end of the book, it's pretty clear to Winston that he got the good ending. He has figured out his issues and solved his moral dilemmas. He loves Big Brother, feels ashamed for loving Julia, and knows with certainty that 2+2=5. However, to the reader, this might not come off the same way. We might have been surprised by this ending, and expecting something much happier.     But if you pay attention to the book, you can very easily see that there's no way this book could've had a good ending. Right from the beginning we can see that there is a controlling regime, and that they are dead set on making sure that no one breaks the rules. Telescreens, police children, it'd be nearly impossible to get away with any of this. And when Julia and Winston get away with their affairs, it's surprising, because logically there's no way that they could've escaped the eye of Big Brother.     In addition, it's shown often that people who get caught will not ...

    When O'Brien mentioned that there were rats in the room with Winston, and then gave him the cage, it was clear how much it disturbed and scared him. It put Winston in a terrified state, where he is forced to live through his worst nightmare. This appears to be the climax of the book, as Winston is finally being confronted by the Party, and he is forced to make his final choices, which could leave to his torture and death, or his salvation.     But the actual torture system seemed very reminiscent to me, with the binding him down and the rat cages. I t felt a lot like the fear simulations that were a big part in the Divergent series. In case you need a refresher, the dear simulations have the participant going through their worst nightmares, in an attempt to overcome your fears. The fear is either a very specific and literal event, (In the case of Tobias's beating) or a more symbolic one. (With Tris being attacked by birds) The whole simulation revolves ...

      While reading through this book, most people can't help but think: "Man, this Winston guy is really putting himself out there." And that is correct, as he is constantly moving into dangerous territory, doing illegal activities, and just being generally unsafe and careless. That's why it didn't surprise me in the least when he got caught. It was going to happen at some point, we were all just waiting for it. However, I think that Winston was written specifically to be careless, and uses his past as a way to show his carelessness. I also think that this kind of thing happens all the time in the Party, and that we are just seeing it from a specific person's perspective. This might all be Winston's fault, but many people were probably subjected to the same fate.

    In this part of the book, we learn all about the border war. The constant battle that keeps the three nations in power, and allows them to be the best in the world. However, this seems like a bit of a stretch to me. A constant war would inevitably be more involving than the book makes it out to be. Wars require people, technology, and food. From what Winston's job is, it's clear that no one in the Party makes any of those things, so it would be up to the proles. This might be the case, but from what we're told, it doesn't seem too likely.     So maybe, this war is simply a red herring. They mentioned that the war never progresses anywhere, but maybe it's not happening at all. Technically, the only thing that the nations have to do is say  that they're going to war, and people would believe them, and everything would play out the same. They even change who they're fighting with in the middle of a speech, which gives the feeling of progress, without actual...

      As strange and unusual Winston is, Julia is something to behold. She comes out of nowhere, presumably seeing Winston for the first time, and immediately falls in love with him. What happens after is very unexpected, as they simply jump right into an intimate relationship, without skipping a beat. Julia seems like the perfect person to Winston. Maybe even too perfect.     I think it's perfectly plausible that Julia is either all in Winston's head, or that she is real, and he is just dreaming of their meetings, because he loves her from afar. She might actually exist, but she's just a normal person, with Winston have his own little fantasies about her. Because their relationship and... "activities" seemingly come out of nowhere. One second they don't know each other, the other second they're in the garden, having the time of Winston's life. But throughout all this, they never get caught. Despite starting to rent a house, going to O'Brien's ...

    At the end of chapter 8, we read the words "Ignorance is Strength." This quote is one from Big Brother, essentially saying that the less people know, the stronger the Party will be. This kind of thinking is not only present in this book, but also in the book Animal Farm , in the case with the sheep.     In Animal Farm , the sheep are the dumbest animals, only repeating whatever the pigs say. In the beginning, the first and most impactful rule is  “Four legs good, two legs bad.” This is in reference to the human that they overthrew, and is used throughout the first act as not only a rule, but a motto. Everything they do and say revolves around that rule. However, as the book progresses, the pigs gain more and more power, and begin to change the rules slightly, much like the Party changes the history books. By the end of book, the phrase has turned into "Four legs good, two legs better." The phrase has completely turned on its head, and it no longer means...