Book Report 2 - 1984

Orwell, George. 1984. (Elika if you're reading this, I need help with the copyright info. It's confusing in this edition of the book. I'll show you tomorrow)
I chose this book because I have been wanting to read it for a while now and I decided this was my chance. I don't really know how to classify the book besides fiction. It wasn't exactly an action book, but it was still very interesting and fun to read and it kept me entertained anyway. It takes place in 1984 (which was the not-so-distant-future from when the book was written) in a place called Airstrip One, which used to be London.
A lot happens in this book, so I'll recap on the main events. Airstrip One, part of the bigger state of Oceania, is ruled by the Party. The Party is a totalitarian regime that has official slogans like, "War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength." I thought this was a crack up because the government has the citizens of Oceania so fearful and ignorant, they are able to have slogans like these that provide evidence that they are corrupt and opressive. Evry citizen is watched through devices called telescreens that are like tv's but they are always on and they spew propaganda. Workers for the Party monitor citizens through them as well. Winston Smith's (the main character) job is even to look through historical records, and change them so they are to the Party's liking. It is quite obvious in the beginning of the book that Winston is against the Party, and Big Brother (the leader of the Party) and wants change. He does illegal things like keep a diary and write about sex and rebellion. The Party doesn't like the idea of sex being for pleasure and make it illegal if it is not marrital and for making babies. Rebelleion and the thought of rebellion is illegal for obvious reasons. That's right, people are not even allowed to have certain thoughts.
Later on he meets a girl named Julia. At first he thought she was an agent for the Party following him to monitor him but later, she does something strange to prove this theory wrong. One day, Winston sees her fall and helps her up. When he helps her she hands him a note that says, "I love you," on it. After a few days they start talking and decide to meet somewhere. They make love in a place in the country and their relationship blossoms from there. They organize more meetings so they can spend time with each other but they have to be careful where they meet so they don't get caught by agents of the Party. Eventually, Winston rents a dusty old room above a second-hand store so they can spend time together safely. The store is in the proletarian district of the city where it is very poor and not monitored as much.
Later, Winston meets a man named O'Brien who he had been wanting to meet for a long time because Winston assumed he had the same ideas of rebellion he did. They organize a meeting at O'Brien's house and Winston and Julia go. To talk, O'Brien turns off his telescreen--an act nobody knew that someone could do. Winston and Julia say how they want to join the secret rebel group known as the Brotherhood. The two are still unsure of its existence, but to change that O'Brien tells them it's real and asks them a series of questions to see if they would be right for the group. They leave and a couple days later, O'Brien gives Winston a book by the leader of the Brotherhood that reveals the truth about the Party.
One night, Winston and Julia read a little from the book. Winston is more interested in it than Julia since he is just more passionate about what is happening and what needs to be done. The next morning they hear a telescreen talk to them directly from behind a painting in the room. They are captured and find out the owner of the shop works for the Party.
The two are put in separate cells. Winston endures torture and hunger and he later is met by O'Brien in his cell. O'Brien identifies himself as a member of the Inner Party (the highest group of the Party that deal with all the big stuff) and Winston says he knew all along. O'Brien oversees Winston's tortures and through weeks of it, he brainwashes Winston into believing all of the lies of the Party. O'Brien also admits he helped write the book he gave Winston. For a while, when he is moved into a more comfortable room and tortured a little less, he starts to rekindle his hatred for the Party and tells O'Brien how he hates it. O'Brien sends him to Room 101 because of this. Room 101 is the place where the worst torture sessions happen.
When he is there, Winston is strapped to a chair and his head is clamped as well. Knowing his fear of rats, O'Brien has a cage of them and he brings it close to Winton's face and tells him they will feed on his face. As O'Brien moves closer, Winston finally screams and tells him to give the torture to Julia instead. Knowing he had finally gotten inside his head completely, they let Winston go.
When he is out, he is like everyone else and obeys whatever the Party tells him and has a love for Big Brother. He is now out of the Party. He sees Julia one day and she admits she betrayed him as well.
The character Winston gave me high hopes throughout the novel. I was convinced he was going to lead a rebellion somehow and defeat the Party. He doesn't and he actually does the opposite. If he would have taken down the Party though, the book wouldn't have made as much of an impact and had as good of a message so I'm happy.
I really liked this novel. I've always been intersted in the concept of a government going to these extremes and how (or if) the people react to it. The book had some deep quotes in it and some witty moments. George Orwell did an amazing job creating this corrupt environment and principles for the evil regime that is the Party. It really shows that people in power will want more power, and they will take advantage of the people. The book sheds light on tendencies that are present in the governments of the world today. It can get to the point to where it is ridiculous, and the author, even thoguh the book is fiction, really showed this. By setting the book in a not-so-distant-future from when the time the book was written, he showed what a government is capable of in such short time. This, and all the other factors of this great book can inform people to think twice about what their governments are doing and hopefully persuade them to act out if they aren't being treated fairly. So yes, I recommend this book.
If I was in Winston's place I don't think I would have cracked. I'm not even sure what my greatest fear is so the odds are the Party wouldn't have known either. And even if they did find something to scare me, I still don;t think I would have cracked if I was in love with the person I was to betray.
George Orwell also wrote Animal Farm and I read it last year. I really enjoyed this book too. It was very clever in being an allegory for the Russian Revolution. Every thing on the farm in the story represents something from the Russian Revolution. It's very interesting. I have never read a book like 1984 before but I did notice the movie V For Vendetta is a lot like it and probably based on it. They're similar to the point that they're both even set in London.