1984: big brother is watching you

by Mykola Senko

1984 is a fantastic novel by George Orwell (Eric A. Blair). It is the most impressive book I have ever read. It is about human, about system, about love and about desire to be free, to have a choice. G. Orwell tells us a story about a man who lives in imagined dictatorial society of future (it has to be said that the book was written in 1948). This society allows you to act, to think, to speak only proper things. The plot takes place in 1984 in London which is a part of a big totalitarian state Oceania. Oceania consists of North and South America, Great Britain, South Africa, Australia. Besides Oceania only two states exists in the world: Eurasia and Eastasia. There is a war between these states constantly because “war is peace”. All people of Oceania are under control. They are being watched by “big brother” through special screens which are situated in each room, each building. The main character of the novel opens another world for himself: he falls in love with a girl who tries to think independently. It has to be said that there is no place for love in such a society. Love is a irrational feeling and people who are in love sometimes do “strange things” . There is no place for “strange things” in the society. This novel shows us an underground struggle of two humans against the system. They lose. Of cause they lose. They have no chance to win. The system is very cruel to them. The same as with other dissidents. They are tortured to make them think properly, to love the system, to love big brother, to be obedient. And only then they are killed. They die as real citizens of their country with faith in it.

The main character, Winston Smith, is a simple man who works for the Ministry of Truth which rewrites history. He goes to work every day, he does not do anything prohibited, he just lives his ordinary life. Until he meets a girl Julia. Julia looks like any ordinary girl. But inside she is an intellectual rebel against the Party. She reads prohibited books, she owns prohibited things, she thinks prohibited thoughts.
The book is pretty hard to read. Orwell brings in a lot of new words for example Ingsoc (the ideology of the totalitarian government of Oceania), Minipax (Ministry of Piece), Minitrue (Ministry of Truth), Miniluv (Ministry of Love). This is a science fiction and Orwell was succeeded in predicting a few technical gadgets, for example screens which are situated in every house.
This books is worth reading. I think that everyone of us will find something interesting in it. This novel is sort of book which makes you think.

Doesn't it remind you anything?