A review by dkoplos
1984 by George Orwell
2.0
2.5 stars. This book was...interesting to say the least. Written in the 1940s but set in a dystopian 1984, Winston is a protagonist that is sometimes hard to like. He has an air about him that shows off as being an asshole. The writing is not really my style, as they take too long to describe what is happening in the scene. It’s a classic piece of science fiction than can show how wrong a socialist society can be, and what happens when a ruling party becomes an all-powerful police state in a constant state of war.
It’s interesting in that Orwell seemed to predict the idea of “Big Brother” (AKA the government) wanted to follow everything thing that you do, down to our very thought. He accurately predicted televisions and cameras in every home, even if his prediction is a bit morbid and terrifying. Julia was more of a window dressing in the story, and Winston’s sanity (or lack of it) made me question if she really was so passive or if we just see his view of women as a whole (the idea that they’re sex-crazed seductresses is problematic).
All in all, I’m glad I’ve read it, even if it just means that I can say that I’ve read it, even though I didn’t enjoy it.
It’s interesting in that Orwell seemed to predict the idea of “Big Brother” (AKA the government) wanted to follow everything thing that you do, down to our very thought. He accurately predicted televisions and cameras in every home, even if his prediction is a bit morbid and terrifying. Julia was more of a window dressing in the story, and Winston’s sanity (or lack of it) made me question if she really was so passive or if we just see his view of women as a whole (the idea that they’re sex-crazed seductresses is problematic).
All in all, I’m glad I’ve read it, even if it just means that I can say that I’ve read it, even though I didn’t enjoy it.