Book review

Introduction/ General Information

Title: 1984
Author: George Orwell
Date first edition: 8 June 1949
Genre: political fiction, social science fiction
Setting
Describe the time and place of the story:
The story takes place in the city of London, the main character ssumes that the year is 1984. Since it is a
fictional story the city of London isnt in England but it is the capital city of a superstate called Oceania,
though it is not clearly explained it seems that Oceania consists of Britain( called Airstrip One in the
novel) and America. The other superstates are Eurasia and Eastasia. Eurasia consists of the lands
obtained by the Soviet Union after the Second World War( Russia and eastern Europe). Countries of
Eastasia are not clearly mentioned in the novel but it probably consists of the Far East.
Comment about the setting:
The setting is never clearly explained and that is a necessary element of the novel since it shows the
unawareness of the citizens about the world around them. It is only at one point of the novel( when
Winston is reading the book the theory and practice of Oligarchical Collectivism) that the division of the
world is explained but even then the reader cant be sure of the correctness and thats what makes the
novel exciting. It also corresponds to one of the themes of the novel: searching for reality.
Main character
Main Character: Winston Smith
Describe this character: he is an employee of the Outer Party. Since the start of the book he starts
doubting the Party which helps the novel progress. He hates the Party passionately and his intelligence
makes him remark the manipulations of the Party. He has a rebellious nature and he longs for comrades
who can join him to start a rebellion. One of the reasons for his reckless acts during the novel is his
paranoia against the Party, he believes that the Though Police will eventually catch him so this enables
him to take more risks.
The main character changes from passionately resistant against the Party ( the totalitarian regime) to a
serious and ignorant supporter of the Party.
Other characters:
Julia: Winstons lover who is also a member of the outer Party. After her confessing her love to Winston
they start a secret affair which leads to them being captured by the Thought Police. Like Winston, she is
completely against the Party, but she rebels in a different way. Unlike Winston, she wants to make the
best out of the situation she is in. She tries to find ways to pleasure herself without getting caught by the

Though Police instead of trying to start a rebellion against the regime. She is considered as an optimistic
character.
OBrien: he is a member of the Inner Party, Winston believes that they share the same thoughts and that
he also wants to join the Brotherhood. This strong character turns out to be a spy who reveals Winston
and Julias disloyalty towards Big Brother. We can assume that he also used to be a rebel against Big
Brother since when Winston asked him if he had been captured he responded I have been caught long
ago.
Big Brother: He is the ruler of Oceania. Though his existence is not proved in the novel, he is considered
as a controlling character of peoples live. Posters of his picture with the message Big Brother is
watching you are distributed everywhere.
Syme: Syme is a language specialist. His intelligence and carelessness with speaking caused him getting
noticed and caught by the Party.
Emmanuel Goldstien: He is one of the former leaders of the party, but now he is the top one enemy of
the party. His existence is not proved, since a totalitarian regime always needs an enemy to blame we
can consider that he is an imaginary character.
Theme:
What is the author trying to say in this story? What is his lesson of life? Is there a moral to this story?
This story was published in 1949. The title is suggesting that the image that Orwell built of the world
after only 35 years can become possible if the hesitant attitude of the East towards communism and the
Soviet Union continues. By this book Orwell wanted to inform supporters of communism of its dangers.
This story is about what?
This story is like a warning to the people of 1949 who didnt know how to approach communism. It is
giving an image of a possible totalitarian regime, it is like a prediction. This story is about the importance
of individuality, the importance of memories and history, the effects of physical torture on human
behavior and psychological control.
This book showed me/ I learned from this story: this book gave me a clear image of a possible
totalitarian regime, and somehow reading this book made me undrestand countries like North Korea
more and more. This book made me wonder how I would feel if I had to continuously suppress my
emotions and desires, would I remark the psychological manipulation or will I blindly continue loving the
great leader?
Plot
1rst stage: it is the awakening of a man called Winston Smith. He starts discovering the manipulations
that the totalitarian regime commits and the lies that it say. His rebellion against the regime starts with
a diary. As he starts recording his life and his dark thoughts in the diary. The presentation of the
government and the characters is in this stage.
2nd stage: Julia and Winston start their affair. Winston rents a room to meet Julia secretly. he believes
there are no cameras in there.

3rd stage: Julia and Winston meet OBrien in his apartment and swear to support the Brotherhood.
4th stage: Winston and Julia are captured in their rented room where they believed no cameras existed.
5th stage: Winston is reeducated in prison and cured from his insanity. He finally betrays Julia.
6th stage: Winston looks admiringly at the portrait of Big Brother which shows the consequence of him
being brain washed and tortures.
Evaluation of the book:
What did you like about the book?
I really liked the book. Political novels can be quite boring but this book always kept me at the edge of
my seat since all the elements were necessary to understand the story. The characterization interested
me the most.
What did you think about the book?
I think that the author was successful in creating a scary and depressing atmosphere but this sad air
about the book is necessary to make the readers undrestand the effects of communism on their lives.
What didnt you like in the book?
It sometimes bothered me that nobody in the book could be trusted, until the time that Julia was
arrested I still thought that she herself was a spy.
Was the story confusing or hard to believe?
Since the story is a fiction it is normal for it to be confusing, which makes the book more interesting. I
think the story is quite believable, specially in the context of the year 1949. The characters all seem so
real with interesting personalities.
Was the story predictable?
Not at all. Until the last chapter I expected a rebellion which causes the fall of Big Brother. Also I always
thought that Winston would die while protesting but none of these happened.
Was the story believable?
Yes. Though in 1949 this story was considered as fiction I can say that today this story seems real looking
at countries like North Korea.
The ending was heart breaking but necessary. At first I was disappointed that after all the hardships
Winston turned out as an ignorant citizen but then after thinking more I believe that the ending is
necessary for making the reader undrestand the message: getting rid of a totalitarian regime is
impossible so lets avoid it since the beginning.