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A review by naomireadsworld
1984 by George Orwell
4.0
**3.5 stars**
1984 by George Orwell has been on my TBR shelf for years. After finally sitting down to read it, I can say I understand why it's so highly regarded, and also that it was not my favorite read.
Winston Smith lives in Oceania, a dystopia where the Party is omnipresent in citizens' lives, at the behest of "Big Brother." Voicing opposition to the Party, its ideals, or to Big Brother is strictly forbidden - and those who step out of bounds are disappeared. The world George Orwell has built feels vaguely (eerily) familiar, with screens, microphones, cameras constantly listening to citizens as they walk through the streets, as they sit in their homes, as they sleep, as they dream, and information and news outlet controlled completely by the government. The novel follows Smith as he questions the boundaries and the absolute control the government has in his life (and people's lives in general).
A Note on Misogyny
The misogyny of the protagonist (perhaps a reflection of the author and the era in which he lived), was a drag to wade through towards the beginning of the novel. Smith voices his frustrations at the Party's prohibition of sex, desire, lust, and at the women who seemingly go along with it. His frustrations, while understandable given the dark, dystopian world he lives in, do not justify his violent, misogynistic desires.
"He would ravish her and cut her throat at the moment of climax... He hated her because she was young and pretty and sexless, because he wanted to go to bed with her and would never do so, because round her sweet, supple waist, which seemed to ask you to encircle it with your arm, there was only the odious scarlet sash, aggressive symbol of chastity."
While sex (and love) as a political action, as a means of rebellion, is something that I can get fully on board with, the opinions Winston Smith holds towards women at the start of the novel are tired. A man harboring a secret longing to take his frustrations at his situation out on women (who are also in the same situation) is not groundbreaking or very interesting at all. There are more examples of Smith's misogynistic viewpoint, this was just the most egregious to me.
A Smaller Note
The novel does get a little slow towards the middle (I'm looking at you, Chapter 9 of Part 2), but then picks right back up.
TL;DR
Overall, 1984 is worth reading, especially for the parallels between Orwell's dystopian world, and our own. The end is darkly hopeful, and perhaps my favorite part of the novel. However, if wading through misogyny to get to the good stuff is not your jam, this book may not be for you.
1984 by George Orwell has been on my TBR shelf for years. After finally sitting down to read it, I can say I understand why it's so highly regarded, and also that it was not my favorite read.
Winston Smith lives in Oceania, a dystopia where the Party is omnipresent in citizens' lives, at the behest of "Big Brother." Voicing opposition to the Party, its ideals, or to Big Brother is strictly forbidden - and those who step out of bounds are disappeared. The world George Orwell has built feels vaguely (eerily) familiar, with screens, microphones, cameras constantly listening to citizens as they walk through the streets, as they sit in their homes, as they sleep, as they dream, and information and news outlet controlled completely by the government. The novel follows Smith as he questions the boundaries and the absolute control the government has in his life (and people's lives in general).
A Note on Misogyny
The misogyny of the protagonist (perhaps a reflection of the author and the era in which he lived), was a drag to wade through towards the beginning of the novel. Smith voices his frustrations at the Party's prohibition of sex, desire, lust, and at the women who seemingly go along with it. His frustrations, while understandable given the dark, dystopian world he lives in, do not justify his violent, misogynistic desires.
"He would ravish her and cut her throat at the moment of climax... He hated her because she was young and pretty and sexless, because he wanted to go to bed with her and would never do so, because round her sweet, supple waist, which seemed to ask you to encircle it with your arm, there was only the odious scarlet sash, aggressive symbol of chastity."
While sex (and love) as a political action, as a means of rebellion, is something that I can get fully on board with, the opinions Winston Smith holds towards women at the start of the novel are tired. A man harboring a secret longing to take his frustrations at his situation out on women (who are also in the same situation) is not groundbreaking or very interesting at all. There are more examples of Smith's misogynistic viewpoint, this was just the most egregious to me.
A Smaller Note
The novel does get a little slow towards the middle (I'm looking at you, Chapter 9 of Part 2), but then picks right back up.
TL;DR
Overall, 1984 is worth reading, especially for the parallels between Orwell's dystopian world, and our own. The end is darkly hopeful, and perhaps my favorite part of the novel. However, if wading through misogyny to get to the good stuff is not your jam, this book may not be for you.