Klein-1984

     Although I dislike Winston, I do pity him some in Chapter 5. In Room 101, we see what reaction the Party has been searching for from Winston, betrayal. Room 101 is the room of breaking points and Winston's is rats. O'Brien capitalizes on Winston's weakness and uses it to turn him against the only thing he had trust in. Up until this point, Winston has remained loyal to Julia, despite everything she has done to him. In this act of manipulation, Winston chooses himself over Julia.      This begs the question, why is Winston not punished for choosing himself, as people are not supposed to commit selfish acts?  Is it because he is choosing himself at someone else's expense, making his selfishness justifiable and therefore inline with the Party's beliefs? Let me know what you think? Also, were you expecting Winston's betrayal, or did you believe that he would remain loyal to Julia to the bitter end?

     To be honest, I don't like Winston. I feel like a broken record, but it needs to be said. He has deserved everything that has come his way and can't act like he is the victim. You literally did this to yourself! I had this same perspective reading Brave New World. I suppose Orwell and Huxley expect us to pity and feel sorry for these (relatively safe and prosperous) males in a dystopian society. Poor you! Poor you for being in the majority of the minority! How ever did you survive? I'm really tired of white men from the 1940s feeling like they're special. It has the same energy of guys now feeling like they're "unique" or "original" for listening to the Beatles or relating to BoJack Horseman. Oh my god, you are just a manipulator who is trying to act like he is anything but. You're not special!     Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but that is how I feel. Does Winston really deserve the pity or is he just an idiot who deserved wh...

      Although Winston is the main character of this novel, I don't like him. He seems stupid and careless. I cannot believe that after weeks of hating Julia, he decides that a piece of paper will change it all. It is reckless of him just to assume that three words on a piece of paper are synonymous with the truth. Winston takes little to no time to really analyze Julia and decide if she really is who she says she is. He just goes along willingly probably because he is so controlled by his lustful thoughts.      I think that Winston deserved to be caught. He was actively breaking the rules but doing it in a way that getting caught would always be inevitable. What do you think? Does Winston deserve the punishments that will be coming his way? Or, was he just in the wrong place at the wrong time, blinded by love?

    Something interesting that I noted in Part Two of this novel was the symbolism of the bird. In Chapter 1, Winston watches the prisoners that are being transported. One prisoner is described as having "nests of hair". This is pretty ironic, considering that the most common symbolism of the bird is freedom. In this subtle use of words, Orwell is tying these two things together, the bird and imprisonment.       Shortly after, when Winston and Julia are in the Golden Country, there is a bird in the pasture. It is singing without regard to the two people there with it. Winston asks himself, "For whom, for what, was that bird singing? No mate, nor rival was watching. What made it sit at the edge of a lonely wood and pour its music into nothingness. I believe that Winston envies this bird. This bird is a representation of everything Winston wishes to be, but knows he can never truly achieve. It is free, in both a physical and moral sense.      A...

    To be honest, when I heard the mentioning of "Big Brother" in this novel, I was not taken aback or somehow affected in a scared way. Rather, I thought of the CBS show, Big Brother . I wondered, is this book where they got the inspiration for the name?  Initially, I thought that it was just a weird coincidence, but as I read on, I realized how similar the show and the concept/identity of Big Brother are. In my opinion, this concept from the book inspired the entire show, and the name directly.     For those who are not aware, Big Brother  is a reality show involving about 20 individuals living in the same house for weeks and competing for $500,000. The house that the contestants live in is not any ordinary house. It is specially built on a set not only to keep the public out, but to completely isolate the houseguests from any outside information. Also, there are hundreds of live television cameras viewing  every inch of the house. The houseguests mu...

    While reading 1984, it is clear that the society and world that Winston Smith lives in is grim, bleak, and unsatisfactory. In Part 1, Chapter 1, Oceana is described as having a setting of "gritty dust". The apartment complex where Winston lives, Victory Mansions, appears to be the exact opposite of its name. The apartments are small, dingy, and almost entirely seen by Big Brother. The hallways smell like "boiled cabbage and old rag mats." The elevators do not work during the day due to an electrical current being shut off during daylight hours.      What I am wondering is, why there is not more upset?  Why do the people of Oceania, including Winston, not express their disapproval for their world and society? Are they afraid of the repercussions if they act out? Are they fearful that the world become even worse if they do speak out? Or are they simply unaware or do not remember the time before the Party and believe that there is nothing wrong?