1984 by George Orwell

                          1984 by George Orwell

 My first encounter with 1984 was in UG’s first year while reading “Fiction”. 1984 was just an example for Dystopian Novel, not in syllabus but my Sir told about this how horrifying it is. And now after reading this I think, “ 1984 is truly Utopian for a Dystopian novel.” What a paradox! Wow! But wait! 1984 is full of paradoxes showing how an absolute totalitarian government can act, what is a true despotism and believe me it is terrifying. Who would like to live in surveillance every moment? Who would like his conscience restrained in the only philosophy what the ruling party thinks right? Who would like to avoid all pleasures, all  arts and all leisures in the intimidation from the party? Of course no one would like. George Orwell depicts how the basic instincts of mankind can be neglected in a Dystopian society formed by the government.

Feelings that one gets after reading 1984 is that more or less we are living at some extent in a Dystopia. Science and technology are used by government as a monitoring and surveillance tool, who knows if a Big Brother comes in existence life will be miserable. Yesterday I was watching journalist Vinod Dua who said if the government likes it can watch every activity of us as every Aadhar Number is linked with our SIM. I think it is just a very dreadful imagination, but not impossible. As an Indian I feel enough comfort to enjoy my activities.

Orwell talks about three super-states in 1984, Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia which appear to have emerged from Nuclear Wars and Civil Rebellions between 1945 and 1965. The main character Winston Smith works in record department; a sub-department of Ministry of Truth in Oceania whose only work is to manipulate History and events in order to appease Big Brother or The Party. The four ministries forming the apparatus of the government were Ministry of Truth- dealing with news entertainment, education and fine arts called Minitrue, Ministry of Peace- dealing with war as Minipax, Ministry of Love- dealing with Law and Order as Miniluv, and Ministry of Plenty- dealing with economic affairs. The words in Italic are the words of Newspeak- a new language designed by the Party to diminish the range of thought by cutting the choice of the words minimum. The work atmosphere in every Ministry is so suffocating that one can’t find anyone as a friend, because everyone is living in the fear of the ThoughtPolice whose members are scattered everywhere. Somehow, a girl named Julia feels attracted towards  Smith by his gestures and tells that she is in love with him. They both meet secretly because the Party doesn’t allow the party-men making love if it is not for recreating a new member for the Party even after marriage. They both find eachother similar in the thoughts that can’t be uttered or even thought publicly or before a monitoring telescreen. Afterwards Smith starts to meet his girlfriend in a vacant room taken on rent by an old man. During the meet, they both often talk about the treacheries of the party and speculate about a rebellion by the ‘proles’, the proletarians. For one or two months their meetings occur uninterrupted but after that they get trapped. The old man comes forth as a member of thought police and an officer of the Party named O’Brien trap them to catch red-handed. And when they are caught , the real terror of the party displays before the reader. Anyone would shiver from fear thinking the way Smith is interrogated and tortured in the imprisonment. Gosh! It is heart-rending. In the end, Smith is killed that is called ‘removed’ or ‘vaporized’.

There comes a book in the book 1984, The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism by Emanuel Goldstein. Goldstein is considered the enemy of the party and Smith is trapped by giving this book to know about the fundamentals of the so called paradoxical slogans of the party and what are the working methods for the rebellion. But only two chapters, first and third are mentioned because Smith is caught while reading the book, and these two chapters are like an eye-opener to understand the basic instincts of all the revolutions throughout the History and the politics of power. A must read book.