Hello readers. Given the down beat tone of my last entry Thru the glass, I have resisted the urge to ponder death further at this time, and will endeavour to talk about something else. Unfortunately the subject of my last entry seems to be the only thing going on in my little world right now, other than work – which at present, is eating away at more of my time than usual. But the extra hours do mean extra money, which is helping to feed my many obsessions – and we get free pizza delivered to the office, so it’s all good.
I am finding work relatively enjoyable at the moment, which is an improvement on how I was feeling when I wrote Next Exit. We are under some considerable pressure right now due to an unnaturally heavy workload, but that suits me fine. I like a challenge, and what we are experiencing at the moment is nothing if not that. But I don’t wish to babble on about work, so that leaves me with Nineteen Eighty-Four to talk about.
I actually finished reading it again about the same time as I finished The Gunslinger, but never got round to uploading a review. Regular readers will be unsurprised when I say I think Nineteen Eighty-Four is a fantastic book, given how much I talk about Utopian/Dystopian concepts at the moment.
The plot centres on Winston Smith, who is living in a post-war London; in a world that has been divided into three super states, Oceania (Britain, renamed Airstrip One; the Americas, Australia and South Africa), Eurasia (Mainland Europe and Russia) and Eastasia (China, Japan, Mongolia and India). These three super states are engaged in a continuous war with one another over the remaining world territories and resource, though none are able to gain a significant advantage over the other two.
Oceania is ruled from London by ‘The Party’, who a totalitarian regime led by the ever present Big Brother, whose face appears throughout the city; always watching. The Party maintains control through oppression, fear and through aggressive propaganda, manipulating all forms of information; even peoples thoughts. This is largely achieved through the devices of newspeak and doublethink.
Newspeak is the official party language, a form of English in which any words that allow an individual to express a feeling or thought contradictory to the ideals of the party, is removed. (Limiting the vocabulary to limit the amount of freethinking).
Doublethink is direct mind control; it is the conscious mental act of accepting two contradictory beliefs as being true. The best examples of this are shown in the names and duties of the four ministries of The Party
Ministry of Peace – Conducts Oceania’s war effort
Ministry of Plenty – Controls the supply of food and goods
Ministry of Truth – The propaganda machine of the party
Ministry of Love – Identifies dissidents (real or potential) then arrests, tortures and re-educates them.
Party members are expected to train themselves in doublethink, those who don’t are likely to be suspected of thoughtcrime and taken to the Ministry of Love.
The narrative itself is divided into three parts; it begins with an introduction to this society through Winston’s eyes. We then see his intellectual rebellion against the party, and finally his arrest, torture and re-education in the Ministry of Love. Taking the character full circle in regard to his perception of Big Brother and The Party.
What I like most about this book is the way in which themes like the perception of truth, and of reality are explored. Winston’s job at the Ministry of Truth is to continually amend previous press articles that disagree with current facts or opinions given by The Party. All forms of the original article are then hunted down and destroyed, along with the orders to amend them (which arrive in code, like the title of this entry). This is repeated for all forms of information, even book are rewritten to fit the party ideals. In this way, the party effectively controls history.
It is the ability the Party has to control not only the present, but also the past, combined with the mental conditioning of its citizens via newspeak and doublethink, that make it appear so immovable. No form of co-ordinated resistance can exist, or at least go unnoticed for more than a few hours. I think that image both alarmingly and thought provoking.
I would like to see a society like that in action, as long as there was a way out. I wouldn’t survive long as a citizen in a Dystopia like Nineteen Eighty-Four. I would rather die in the Ministry of Love than live like a drone.
Nineteen Eighty-Four is a fantastic, thought provoking read; one which I think you should go away and start now!
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