Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
In a totalitarian future society, a man whose daily work is rewriting history tries to rebel by falling in love.
Summary
Nineteen Eighty-Four is a dystopian novel by English author George Orwell published in 1949. The novel is set in the year 1984 when most of the world population have become victims of perpetual war, omnipresent government surveillance and propaganda. In the novel, Great Britain has become a province of a superstate named Oceania. Winston Smith, the main protagonist, is a rank-and-file Party member. Smith is an outwardly diligent and skillful worker, but he secretly hates the Party and dreams of rebellion. He enters into a forbidden relationship with a colleague, Julia, and starts to remember what life was like before the Party came to power.
Interpretation
Nineteen Eighty-Four is a warning against the dangers of totalitarianism and the power of propaganda. It is a story of a man's struggle against an oppressive system and his eventual defeat. The novel is a powerful indictment of the human cost of totalitarianism and a warning of the dangers of a society in which freedom of thought and action are suppressed.
Who is this book for?
Nineteen Eighty-Four is suitable for adults and young adults. It is a classic work of dystopian fiction and is often studied in schools and universities.
Keywords
Dystopian, Totalitarianism, Propaganda, Rebellion, Classic