Overview:
A dystopian novel written in the year 1949 by George Orwell, “Nineteen Eighty-Four” is a book that speaks about collectivist and oligarchic forms of society. It is considered by many as one of the best books written in the social science fiction genre. There are numerous terms and names in the novel that went on to become common household names and terminologies; for example, ‘doublethink’, ‘memory hole’, ‘newspeak’, ‘Big Brother’ and ‘thoughtcrime’.
This novel also made the adjective ‘Orwellian’, which means lies and manipulation in the past while following a very totalitarian thought, very popular.
Background:
At the conclusion of a large-scale global war, the world is divided into three parts. The story of “Nineteen Eighty-Four” takes place in Oceania, which is one of the three parts. London is the chief city of an Oceanic province called “Airstrip One”, which had previously been Great Britain. The leader of the dominating party, who is known as Big Brother, monitors each and every action of all the people. His posters adorn the landscape and bear the words “Big Brother is Watching You”.
The society is divided into three main classes; the upper-class inner party, the middle-class outer party and the lower-class proles. The lower class represents the working class and constitutes 85% of the total population.
Plot:
Winston Smith is a protagonist who is employed as an editor to revise historic records in order to show the dominating party in a better light. He has a turbulent childhood and has forgettable memories about the civil war because of which his country was annexed by the United States. He recalls his childhood and speaks about his perception of how life goes on in Airstrip One.
Controversies and Cultural Impact:
Considered as one of the most influential books of the century, “Nineteen Eighty-Four” is also widely known to be a controversial novel. In the book, George Orwell portrayed a version of Great Britain which was annexed by the United States. He strongly voiced the opinion that the British democracy, as it was before the outbreak of World War II in 1939, had absolutely no chance of surviving the war. Majority of the public perceived that Orwell had intended an attack at the British Labor Party, blaming them for the rise of totalitarianism. Numerous other controversies sprung up because of his 1946 essay “Why I Write”.
The popularity of “Nineteen Eighty-Four” also revolutionized the English Language. Numerous terms and concepts portrayed in the novel became part of everyday vernacular. Also, because of the name of the book and its popularity, an asteroid discovered in the year 1984 by Antonín Mrkos was named ‘11020 Orwell’.
