Book Review: 1984

I found 1984 an absolutely wonderful read. It had an intelligent plot, the ideas and concepts it played with were fascinating and the author's vision of a futuristic world was intriguing. The two main themes that I picked up on while reading the book were power and hopelessness.

George Orwell creates a vision of a totally controlled society where your every move is closely watched and your every thought is picked up on. This oppressed society is ruled by the "Party". The Party is not in control for the good of the people or because they believe that they can make the world a better place. No. It is in control simply for power. This theme crops up throughout the book and shows us how scathing the author is about the ruling powers and their lust for self gain.

The second theme that is evident in the novel is that of hopelessness. No matter what you do or where you go, you are never free of the party. In the end, no matter what you try you can never defeat it. This means that there is a great feeling of hopelessness in the main character, Winston, throughout the course of the story. He knows that if he rebels, it won't make the slightest difference and that there is no hope for the future of mankind. Because of this weight on Winston's shoulders, we can feel the ever present feeling of despair and hopelessness all the way through the book.

The world of the text is certainly not a very pleasant one. It is set in an authoritarian state ruled by a ruthless, power hungry, government who keep close tabs on every member of the population. Orwell has taken the oppression enforced under communism and doubled it twofold. Everyone is controlled, body and mind, by the party. No one is free.

This would be a horrible society to live in. There is no freedom of speech, expression or thought. This kind of a world scares me because it implies that you are never in control of your own being but that outside powers are. I like having the ever present safety of my own mind and a culture in which that is taken away from me would be unbearable.

I really liked Orwell's style of writing. Firstly, it was very descriptive. He uses very lush, rich language that really brings the world of the text to life. This is always one of my favourite aspects of a writer's technique because they can use their words to make the images in the book tangible and alive.

He also uses the flashback technique to great affect. Throughout the novel, Winston has flashbacks about his life as a child and about other significant events that occurred in his past. This technique helps to give the reader a greater insight into Winston's character and into his relationships with other people. For this reason, I thought it very effective in the novel.

In conclusion, I found the novel a very intelligent and mind whirring book that is definitely worth a read for all Sci-fi and Fantasy fans.