1984 by George Orwell

Nineteen Eighty Four is set in a dystopian society roughly around the year 1984. It takes place on Airstrip One, which used to be the British Isles before control was seized by the superpower Oceania. Society as we know it no longer exists with the new English Socialism regime, called IngSoc for short, running the country. The majority of the population, known as “Proles,” are treated as animals by the higher -ups and live in poverty. The middle and upper class are part of the Party and control the entirety of Oceania. The party follows the word and ideals of “Big Brother”, a major political icon of the IngSoc party, who is associated with the slogan “Big Brother Is Watching You.” The Party controls everything and anything, ranging from food rations to the news itself.

Party members are taught a certain mindset, called doublethink, which allows them to trick themselves into believing everything that the Party tells them and convincing themselves that the Party can do no wrong. Individuality is a dangerous trait to have, as any sort of discontent or rebellion leads to death and being rewritten out of existence. The news is constantly being re-edited and old newspapers destroyed and replaced, so that Big Brother is never shown as being wrong. The ultimate goal of the party is to erase any and all individuality in people, so that they will believe the party is perfect and never doubt it. The only hope is someone, like our main character Winston, is able to prove some sort of inconsistency and possibly weaken the party.

review by A. Porter