Classic literature has the ability to transcend generations, and George Orwell’s 1984 is no exception. In fact, the themes and ideas presented by the author are more relevant and prescient today than they were in the 1940s when the book was published.
The concepts of a surveillance state, redefining words and coopting language, the rewriting of history, and the oppressive control of how people think and act have come to fruition in our world today in a variety of ways, and Orwell’s text forewarned us of what could result from an oppressive government abusing its power and its people.
1984 tells the story of Winston Smith, a man steeped in the political and social dogma of his country, Oceania. But when Smith begins to waver and think for himself, he questions the tenets that shape his worldview and the society he lives in. Concepts like “War is Peace,” “Freedom is Slavery,” and “Ignorance is Strength” cause him to wonder if the truth he’s been fed is reality or a way to control the population.
As Winston delves deeper into trying to discover the truth, he meets allies who seem to share his thirst for knowledge and to discover what’s really going on under the surface. Will Winston and the others find the truth, or will they succumb to the political indoctrination hellbent on keeping order and control?
In her Afterword at the end of the 75th Anniversary Edition of 1984, Sandra Newman writes:
“It would be irresponsible to finish this essay without addressing, at least briefly, some of the ways in which we are closer to the world of Oceania than we have ever been. We now have the technology to create a system of control that Ingsoc [the totalitarian political party running Oceania] could only dream of. In fact, the average American citizen is arguably already more surveilled than Winston Smith. We are subject to at least as many hours of screen messages intended to manipulate and convince, and ones of much greater sophistication than the crude newsflashes Winston saw. Many people have multiple microphones and cameras in their homes that are connected to corporations that harvest data from them. People carry phones wherever they go that identify them and broadcast their location; this information is extracted by corporations throughout the day. The government, meanwhile, has their own cameras, connected to computer systems with facial recognition capacities O’Brien [the main antagonist in the book] never imagined” (319-320).
There’s a reason why George Orwell’s 1984 has become a mainstay in literary circles. It should also be seen as a warning about giving up too much autonomy and control to government and corporate entities whose motives aren’t in the individual’s best interest.
I highly recommend George Orwell’s 1984.