Just Finished re-Reading: Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (FP: 1949) [239pp] 

As a low-level functionary in the Ministry of Truth (responsible for all propaganda), Winston Smith has seen things which have disturbed him. His job is to ‘correct’ the past to more reflect the present – and then ensure that all evidence of that ‘correction’ is destroyed. But Smith has a problem, he remembers things and sometimes gets confused. Has Oceania *always* been at war with Eastasia or was it, as he remembers, Eurasia? He worries that the reported production targets – always met or exceeded – have singular failed to improve things despite the news from the telescreens. If things had never been better, why was he constantly asked for razorblades by his colleagues? Then there’s Julia. What did she possibly see in him? Was she really a member of the Thought Police leading him astray – not that he’d much leading. He was already guilty of thoughtcrime, already one of the walking dead. It was only a matter of time before they caught him. Big Brother was infallible and Big Brother was everywhere...  

The story of 1984 is SO well known it hardly bears repeating. I’m not sure if it struck a chord when originally published not long after World War Two, but since then it has woven its way into Western culture and DEEP into its psyche. Part of its pervasiveness can be explained by the fact that both the Left AND the Right use it as a warning of creeping (and sometime blatant) authoritarianism from the other side. But I suppose the fear of such a thing is universal. 

This is a re-read for me and is, I believe my third time. On this occasion I’m buddy (re)reading it with Stephen over at Reading Freely. It’s a re-read for him too I believe. The first time I was introduced to this classic dystopia I was 13 or so (so, around 50 years ago) when my English teacher at the time leant her copy to me. Why she did so I can’t remember. I can only guess that she thought that of all of the other working-class kids in her class that I might appreciate it more than most. It’s not often that I can say, hand on heart, that a book truly changed my life but this one most certainly did. It was one of THE foundations of my present political beliefs (I’m a Socialist if you were unaware). I must have read it a second time when I bought my present copy (published in 1978) possibly prompted by the rather fractious politics of the time! Although it didn’t have the same impact the 3rd time around it's still VERY relevant (especially with the present swing to the Right across the West) and more than once I found myself thinking how some world ‘leaders’ (I’m looking at YOU Donald) seem to be using 1984 as a playbook rather than a warning. 

With my 3rd read and a (possibly) more mature head on my shoulders I did notice a few things that passed me by before. I didn’t realise that the date – even the year of 1984 – was uncertain throughout the book and not just during Smith’s time at the Ministry of Love (responsible for interrogation and torture). That surprised me and made me think of the first Matrix film. Britain being called ‘Airstrip One’ always made me laugh, especially as we’d been called an unsinkable aircraft carrier during WW2 (I believe). What had really failed to register was that the world in the book took place after a nuclear war. I certainly had no memory of that from previous readings! The bombing of Colchester was mentioned (why Colchester I thought) as well as lingering radiation in London, but later a global conflict was mentioned which gave rise to the present Smith was living through. 

Naturally the idea of doublethink and most especially the control (or attempted control) of past events – crowd sizes, comments during interviews etc – was constantly on my mind. I think the one thing that jumped out at me that hadn’t really crossed my mind before was that Smith had been set up. I did wonder (and actually still wonder) if Julia was part of the plot. But there was a reference to Smith being under scrutiny for seven years before he was arrested. My guess is that he showed his native intelligence (in his work at the Ministry of Truth) a little too often to be ignored. The LAST thing the Party wanted was an intelligent person in their (lower) ranks. One amusing thing that made me smile more than once was the constant reference to helicopters spying on people. I’m guessing that as the technology was very new in 1949, they symbolised the ‘future’. I wonder what Orwell would make of drones? One of the interesting sections (for me at least) actually stopped the narrative DEAD – when Winston read through the supposed banned book by Big Brothers arch enemy Emmanuel Goldstein (a few hints/tinges of antisemitism throughout the text made me winch a bit) which honestly made a LOT of sense. I’m guessing that this was straight from the brain of Orwell himself?  

Overall, I was impressed by the depth and the still palpable power of the book. No doubt Orwell drew on his personal experiences in the Imperial police in Burma, his time in Spain during the Civil War (especially his experience with Soviet forces), his investigation into the poor published in ‘Down & Out’ and ‘Wigan Pier’ and, of course, his time with the BBC (AKA the Ministry of Truth) doling out wartime propaganda. This is one of those timeless classics that everyone – no matter their political beliefs – should read at least once in their lives. It should definitely (and always) be a set book for school children to read in their mid-teens. Definitely recommended (obviously).