Over the past few years I’ve come across references and short quotes from George Orwell’s 1984, but outside of it being a dystopian novel set in the year 1984, I didn’t know much about it or the author.

I’d grabbed this one as part of the same sweet 3 for $10 deal that I picked up The Sun Also Rises with and I had some high hopes. Any novel that is referenced with the frequency of this one is bound to be an interesting read, or at least you’d hope so.

One of the key highlights of this book seems to be that, although it was published in 1949, the types of technology and authoritarian structure of the governing body in the story mirror those that we see today in 2023. Which is just to say that Geroge Orwell is sometimes looked upon as some sort of sorcerer who could see the future.

I tried not to carry that expectation too deeply with me when I read it, but it was pretty present in my mind throughout.

So what’s it really about?

Well, 1984 focuses on this guy named Winston who has a peculiar job in this future. He works for what’s effectively the reigning government of fictional Oceania in 1 of their 4 main ministries; There’s the Ministry of Truth, the Ministry of Peace, the Ministry of Love and the Ministry of Plenty. Winston works for the Ministry of Truth, which may very well be called the Ministry of Lies because his only job function is to rewrite old newspaper articles and other texts so that they better align with the present day and future plans of the government.

In today’s age this is not at all unlike how you’ll notice comments and articles being scrubbed in real-time from the internet for reasons.

Winston however is not wholly engrained within the Ministry’s culture – he sees flaws and faults with the current way of the world and he begins to devise a plan on how to take down the operation from the inside. But that’s not as easy as it sounds since the Ministry has eyes and ears everywhere. Everywhere you go there might be a camera recording your every move, or a microphone picking up every word you say. Winston doesn’t carry a cellphone and maybe you don’t either, but you can’t avoid the overwhelming presence of an overarching body today in 2023; there are cameras on street corners, in every shop, on cars and on every person carrying a trackable device.

The Ministry is an extreme organization who goes so far as to change the meaning of words to discourage freedom of expression. This part of their tactic is a confusing bit to follow in the book using terms like “doublethink” that in itself cause your head to spin a little, and I suppose that’s the point though it does feel like the terms could have been a little more eloquent. If at any point they believe you to be trying to think and feel like a normal human being and not one with the parties interest in mind, you risk being tortured and killed. I mention that this is an extreme organization but it’s not at all unlike those found in authoritarian regimes across the world over – I’ll let you choose one of your own to fit this description (there are so many!).

Winston eventually develops a crush on a young woman who he come across one day and she, for some reason, also takes a liking to him – a sort of unspoken bond built out of the dire circumstances of their lives that lures them to each other. They begin to sneak around and Winston shares his desire to overthrow the government with her because he wants them both to be able to think and feel freely.

By the end of the book (SPOILER!)…

… yes Winston is caught. So is his girlfriend. And he is betrayed by the one person outside of the two of them he believed he could trust. It’s a tale as old as time.

And in his quest for freedom he eventually realizes as he chugs back another mouthful of Gin at the local bar that… the ministry is unstoppable. He was foolish to try. And in that realization, that utter hopelessness of his circumstances and the life he will have to continue to live in complete control of the Ministry who now even carry a more watchful eye over his treacherous ass… he finds peace. It is what it is.

It’s an upsetting outcome to be frank, but it’s not at all surprising nor do I think it really could have ended any other way; It proves that man when pressed to great adversity more often then not will simply fold to the whim of a higher power because, “what can I do about it anyways?” and that is the absolutely heartbreaking reality of 2023, I mean 1984, I mean…

what year is it really?

Highlight of the book:

I’m not entirely sure why this book gets such an incredible reputation. For what the story is, it’s kind of a dull read to be honest and I’m certain there are other novels that have braced this topic in a more interesting and gripping way, but I also might have just had too high expectations given the remarkable frequency people reference this book.

I had higher hopes for it in the initial chapters. Early on, there is a scene where Winston is approached by someone at the Ministry to collect his subscription dues and Winston thinks to himself and even says aloud that he can’t even keep track of what this payment is for that they’re collecting, but it doesn’t even matter as he coughs up the few bucks to get rid of the guy pestering him. I thought this was one of the more poignant pieces of the story and the one that to me is more prevalent in modern society.

Today we have so many subscriptions it’s damn nearly impossible to keep track of them all and you absolutely don’t want to be paying into most of them.

Whereas we once had a single payment for cable, now you might have 10 subscriptions just for TV and movie networks if you’re keen to that medium (Crave, HBO, Amazon Prime, the list goes on). You have you phone bill, multiple per household instead of just a single landline. You have bank fees just for choosing to put your money into that bank and have a checking account. You might have Twitter Blue (X Blue?) or verified your other social media networks (to prove what, we’re still not sure – remember the governing body of your state or country already know exactly who you are). Anyways, you get the idea.

The problem with subscriptions isn’t inherently paying for the subscription but the sheer volume of things that were once “Free” that now require access to your personal bank account. And some of these fees might seem minuscule to you (that’s how they get ya) but the greater problem is that eventually, everything and I mean absolutely everything will carry a fee. And at the rate we’re going we’re not very far off from it. These small fees add up in big ways – they both allow you to become comfortable with the idea of paying for things that you otherwise wouldn’t have (preferred seating on a plane or movie theatre?) but they also slowly drain your personal wealth – the poorer you are, the easier you are to control. (See also: rich folks paying off big name lawyers to get off on criminal charges and avoid jail time).

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Will I read anymore George Orwell?

Maybe. I might try Animal Farm one day. That one’s supposed to be good, too.