Current Events > I hate that 1984 got turned into a political only book

(+) Yeah! (+)

Spoilers if you haven't read it.

The entire premise of the book is quite literally the struggle of internal memories and beliefs. The political aspect of it is nothing more than a vessel to show the true underlying theme of mental instability. Just because it has a dystopian type future setting doesn't mean that's the main takeaway from the novel. Socialism and more specifically the comparisons to Nazis and the Russian Revolution are nothing more than a backdrop for Winston's conflicted beliefs and the actual psychology behind why people will believe something they know is not true. Even the pacing of the book shows this overtly because of how much time is spent in the Love Department as opposed to the actual world around, the foreshadowings were apparent halfway through the novel. It also is more of a commentary on how at the end of the day people are selfish and will sell out whoever it takes in order to save their own skin. O'Brien is a placeholder for a parental figure/priest/teacher aka someone who you are supposed to trust. It shows that even these types of people will backstab you overtly and cause you the most pain, an abuser syndrome more or less.

In fact I would say it's a great barometer to see how people can read between the lines or not, being force fed a certain narrative only to have it be a small setting in a much more micro internal struggle.

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Letron_James posted...

The political aspect of it is nothing more than a vessel to show the true underlying theme of mental instability.

No, George Orwell was a socialist whose life was one of praxis and revolution. He was involved in the Spanish Civil War. He had a relationship with Aldous Huxley, writer of Brave New World. Orwell also wrote Animal Farm and Homage to Catalonia.

There is a significant portion of 1984 that breaks narrative and is literally a political document explaining how classical revolutions happen to the reader (the aristocratic middle class overthrowing the absolute ruling class while promising the proletariat/peasantry change to earn their strength). 1984 itself is a cautionary tale of how the class divide can survive even after a seemingly hard-core communist revolution and is a look into how Orwell perceived the nomenklatura of the USSR.


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I hate that Wonder Woman 1984 was just a piece of crap.

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I've always wanted to read this book. maybe I'll go to the library this weekend

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Yea, I bet Orwell rolling over in his grave this book is taken in a political context given his other writings.

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I love how Republicans use it.

git yur politics out of mah 1984

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Doe posted...

There is a significant portion of 1984 that breaks narrative and is literally a political document explaining how classical revolutions happen to the reader (the aristocratic middle class overthrowing the absolute ruling class while promising the proletariat/peasantry change to earn their strength).

"Goldstein's Book" summarizes the eternal political struggle of all systems, rather simply and elegantly.

1. The ruling class wants to stay in power, at all costs, and leverages the proletariat to do so.
2. The opposition class wants to get into power, at all costs, and leverages the proletariat to do so.
3. Sometimes they swap places.

Winston's "If there is hope it lies in the proles" just means he fell right into that loop. Orwell layered the despondency on.

Its baffling how Trumpers used the book to insult the left.

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Doe posted...

No, George Orwell was a socialist whose life was one of praxis and revolution. He was involved in the Spanish Civil War. He had a relationship with Aldous Huxley, writer of Brave New World. Orwell also wrote Animal Farm and Homage to Catalonia.

There is a significant portion of 1984 that breaks narrative and is literally a political document explaining how classical revolutions happen to the reader (the aristocratic middle class overthrowing the absolute ruling class while promising the proletariat/peasantry change to earn their strength). 1984 itself is a cautionary tale of how the class divide can survive even after a seemingly hard-core communist revolution and is a look into how Orwell perceived the nomenklatura of the USSR.

Questionmarktarius posted...

"Goldstein's Book" summarizes the eternal political struggle of all systems, rather simply and elegantly.
1. The ruling class wants to stay in power, at all costs, and leverages the proletariat to do so.
2. The opposition class wants to get into power, at all costs, and leverages the proletariat to do so.
3. Sometimes they swap places.
Winston's "If there is hope it lies in the proles" just means he fell right into that loop. Orwell layered the despondency on.

Yeah, both Animal Farm and 1984 were critiques of totalitarian regimes using communists ideals to manipulate the masses, specifically the USSR as an example.

Also, fun fact, the descriptions of the pictures of Big Brother are actually of Eric Arthur Blair a.k.a George Orwell--the author was the totalitarian image of his own book, which makes sense as he was in complete control of everything in it...

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Frizzurd posted...

I love how Republicans use it.

Paranoid individualism isn't really a thing democrats do. Paranoid collectivism is their thing.
Go look into Huxley for that.

_____Cait posted...

Its baffling how Trumpers used the book to insult the left.

It was used pretty often to criticize trump and kelly ann conway, and rightfully so

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