Rated NC-18 presents Dystopia Season: George Orwell's 1984

Rated NC-18 (Nerdy Content from an 18-year old): George Orwell's 1984

Helllloooooo and welcome to a very special segment of Steeleopedia’s NC-18 series; a little something I like to call Dystopia Season. Through July, August, and early September I analyze and review three books of a particular category; in this case, dystopian fiction. And without further ado, on to the first “episode”.

Introduction

Our first subject is a novel that has not just made an impact on the genre but also has impacted the entirety of literature, and the very way we talk about society. You’ve probably seen it rocket back up to the top of the bestseller list after White House aide Kellyanne Conway’s little smart aleck remark about “alternative facts”. You’ve probably heard and used some of the diction that originated from it: “Thoughtcrime”; “The Thought Police”; “Newspeak”; “Doublethink”; “Big Brother”. A novel whose title is only a simple year: 1984. To say that 1984 is a good dystopia is an understatement. The impact it has had on modern culture is so great you can see the crater it’s made from the International Space Station (metaphorically, mind you). We owe this all to Eric Arthur Blair, better known to the populace as the communist rear-end kicker George Orwell, who just two years before writing this had also created the also famous Animal Farm, which was a scathing satirical allegory of the pig-headed nature of Communism (heh heh, get it [if you’re having trouble deciphering this joke, read a book, literally]). In the novel, he gives us a chilling insight into the nature of totalitarian anti-liberal societies and the diabolically genius ways they might subjugate its people. 1984 is a special case because it’s not the first dystopian novel, and it’s not even the first dystopian novel that mattered; its claim to fame is that it immortalized the dystopian novel. So what better way to kick off this little event than with a novel as revered and influential as this. Let’s take a look, shall we?

Plot Summary

The story takes place in the grim year of (if it hasn’t already been made painfully obvious enough) 1984. It is a world that is suffering from ceaseless bloodshed and turmoil. It is a world that, decades before, had endured the ravages of nuclear war, and out of the radioactive dust three powerful super-states emerged. Oceania, and the so imaginatively named Eurasia and Eastasia. The story takes place in Oceania in the region of Great Britain (or Airstrip One as it’s called) in what was once called London, which serves as Oceania’s only stronghold in Europe against Eurasia. Like every other region in Oceania, the citizens of this island is constantly under the iron fist of Big Brother and the ruling party: named IBM…

...wait that’s the wrong 1984, the one where a marathon runner throws a sledgehammer at a TV screen with a corporate executive’s face on it, let’s try that again. ...under the iron fist of Ingsoc. It a nightmare world filled with mass surveillance, frequent disappearances, a total lack of basic rights and freedoms, subpar living conditions, and lousy stimulants (because if some of you less sober viewers get any ideas about smoking or drinking your problems away, you’re gonna be quite disappointed). And it is through these means (and many others that I’ll get to later, though I doubt about the very latter) that Ingsoc that they are able to keep the populace in utter conformity… or do they. That’s where Winston Smith comes in. The novel chronicles his transition from being a reluctant supporter of Big Brother to a subversive rebel against him; all beginning when he dares *gasp* write in a diary! And later in the novel, it escalated even further when he meets Julia and *gasp* have a romantic relationship! Will they be able the persist in their seditious state of being? can they liberate others from the rule of Ingsoc? I’m gonna let you find out for yourself.

Analysis of the nightmare world

Now for dystopia season, in addition to running through 1984’s strengths and weaknesses, we’re also looking at the elements of what makes 1984’s dystopia, well, a dystopia. I and many others believe that dystopian fiction was never meant to be a prophecy, but a warning and that by going through the elements of these works and presenting them here that we’re able to be aware of and evade certain doom. Now, because it was partly a critique of the horrors that were seen in the Soviet Union, and Communism in general, you can expect to see a lot of similarities between them and Oceania: total state control on the economic and social activity; a burning hatred of those who disregard it; a justice system that’s anything but just; human rights violations; and the other traits that were mentioned in the plot summary, and those that haven’t been mentioned. However, if you think that Oceania is just like the USSR, it isn’t, it’s the Soviet Union ON SPEED; CRYSTAL METH; AND STEROIDS!!! First of all, the social hierarchy. As in every society, there is a high point; a middle; and a low point. The high point consists of the Inner Party, which is made up of the people who are the heart of Oceania’s govt and Big Brother, and just like many “high points” in society, they have an astronomical proportion of the wealth, power and, influence, despite that they only make up a small amount of the populace. The middle point consists of the zealous, educated members of the Outer Party: the people who have roles in the other branches of the govt and who implement the policies set but the other party. And finally the proles, who are basically the impoverished, illiterate, uneducated, gullible working class who don’t have any role in the Party whatsoever. However, much unlike modern day liberal society, Ingsoc desires this artificial inequality. It is through this inequality (and the many distractions, trivial entertainment, and other stuff that’s otherwise forbidden inside the Party) that Ingsoc is able to focus all of their strict policies and rigorous policing on the people in the Party itself. In fact you have more freedoms as a member of the proles than of the Outer Party. One line from the book says it all: “Proles and animals are free.” (unless you’re the animals in Animal Farm, in that case, consider yourself screwed). Ingsoc also keeps Oceania in a state of constant war with one of the other super-states (and is an ally with the other). In fact, the conflict can constantly switch on the snap of a finger and who the Party decides who is the enemy and who is the ally of Oceania can change on a whim. It may seem arbitrary but it serves them a purpose. It uses up all the surplus consumer goods and money in the economy that could be used to assist their own people, which solidifies the social divide, and keeps the population in a constant state of fear, hatred, and zealous patriotic fervor. And in case if you’re wondering . about life in the other aforementioned super-states, they’re just as bad as the other; in fact they’re almost identical in every way (including the fact that they’re hyper-communist) and that one of the only exceptions the name, as it’s called Neo-Bolshevism in Eurasia and the so charmingly named Obliteration of the Self in Eastasia. Yeah, the name sure fits! Because I’d prefer the obliteration of myself than join their little asylum worthy ideology! But wait, there’s more! 1984 also introduces Newspeak which is basically the Party’s little brand of English language. Unlike every other language, the diction of Newspeak actually shrinks with the passing of time as the govt eliminates a variety of verbs, nouns, adjectives and all sorts of words that are deemed “unnecessary”, or narrows them down (i.e. Ingsoc is a Newspeak word that means English Socialism). By doing this it narrows the range of thought and makes the very act of “thoughtcrime” (the act of thinking and speaking rebellious thoughts) impossible. But the most terrifying aspect of 1984 is the concept of doublethink. To put it bluntly, doublethink is the action of holding simultaneously two mutually exclusive, or contradictory beliefs, ideas, statements or whatever and believe in both of them at the same time. It gives them the boldness to say the 2+2=5, that the sky is red, the audacity to say that Eastasia was always an enemy of Eurasia even though a short while ago, IT WAS FLIPPIN’ EURASIA!, and the ability to look at a photograph of a group of people who were wiped out by the state and say that it DOESN’T EVEN EXIST!! Yeah, show a fanatical Party member something that goes against the principles of Ingsoc and they treat it, to quote John Oliver, “like a mean girl treats the high school debate team *imitating said mean girl* ’you’re nothing, Amberly. You don’t even exisssst!’” (and to quote him yet again “I’m not being paid to say that, I’m just a fan.”). The society of Oceania thrives off this concept, and examples of it are seen all across the board. One example is the Party’s slogan: “War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; Ignorance is Strength.” and the four Ministries. Ministry of Plenty? causes food shortages and economic disparity; Ministry of Peace? they’re responsible for deciding who to attack next; Ministry of Truth? rewrites history and falsifies documents, and corrects even the tiniest errors and in the news because the Party is always right (sarcasm); and my favourite, the Ministry of Love. What do they do? FLIPPIN’ TORTURE. Oh, and speaking of the Ministry of Love, there’s something there that inspires, even more, dread than doublethink; it is only known as Room 101. Need evidence? this line pretty much explains it: “The thing that is in Room 101, is the worst thing in the world.”. What’s being said is that what lies within Room 101 is a person’s greatest dread, their darkest dear, their worst nightmare! The kind of stuff that has grown human beings weep like infants. The very thought of Room 101 is enough to keep a person in line and when a plucky prisoner is told that he’s next…

...I’ll let the book do the talking...

“Room 101" said the officer.

The man's face, already very pale, turned a color Winston would not have believed possible. It was definitely, unmistakably, a shade of green.

"Do anything to me!" he yelled. "You've been starving me for weeks. Finish it off and let me die. Shoot me. Hang me. Sentence me to twenty-five years. Is there somebody else you want me to give away? Just say who it is and I'll tell you anything you want. I don't care who it is or what you do to them. I've got a wife and three children. The biggest of them isn't six years old. You can take the whole lot of them and cut their throats in front of my eyes, and I'll stand by and watch it. But not room 101!"

"Room 101" said the officer.”

LOOK AT THIS! LOOK! AT! THIS!!!! The unfortunate soul gets so panicked that they are willing to allow ANYTHING to happen. Family? Friends? Screw them! Get me out of this hellhole!! And now because I’m that much of a dork, here’s my personal list of Things I would rather see happen or do than go to Room 101.

-Skin a seal pup alive

-Drown a baby hippo in sulfuric acid (just look up a photo of one and tell my I’m not the most repulsive human being alive)

-Go on a two-week vacation to New Jersey

-Cancel Stranger Things

-Assassinate Mark Hamill

-Ban every Steven Spielberg movie

-Listen to What does the Fox Say by Ylvis for twenty-four hours straight for seven days a week

-Tell an entire 1st-grade class straight to their happy, juvenile faces that Santa doesn’t exist.

-And last but not least... BECOME A VEGETARIAN! (yes I’m serious)

What’s just as freaky is that in the end, the person who was in Room 101 doesn’t just obey Big Brother, HE LOVES HIM WITH EVERY PART OF HIS BEING, WITHOUT ANY SECOND THOUGHT WHATSOEVER!

So now you can see why this place isn’t exactly the land of milk and honey.

With that out of the way, now for the juicy stuff.

Is the Nightmare a Reality?

Now some people would be pointing to a lot of things (much of it in the USA) to try to convince us that it is. Such as the USA PATRIOT Act and the NSA controversies; the long aforementioned “alternative facts” fact; how the US is constantly embroiled in foreign conflicts; and so on. However, there are things that greatly contrast America and Oceania. For starters that the activities done by the liberal democracy that is the United States are because of misguided thinking while the actions by the anti-liberal oligarchy of Oceania is done because of genuine malice. And while America has had it’s fair share of bad leaders, there is the checks and balances in place to frustrate potential abuses by a certain party; or heaven forbid vote them out through elections. And if you want a true modern day example, look no further than North Korea. A country run by a totalitarian regime with a leader that is worshipped like a god by his fanatical collection of zealots who live in their own distorted version of reality.

But with all of this mad rambling about current affairs and fictional states, I can’t miss this important question.

How does it fare as a novel

While 1984’s world isn’t what you call pleasant, reading it from the comfort of this reality is. The atmosphere of the world is one that actually legitimately sends chills down the spine (in quite a good way) which contributes nicely to the ghastly aura of the text. Also further enriching the text is characters which not just paper cutout stereotypes of the genre. Finally, what further enhances it is the insightful philosophies and perspectives that the author has to offer which doesn’t limit its scope to the novel’s setting. Here is a few example:

“Being in a minority, even in a minority of one, did not make you mad. There was truth and there was untruth, and if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you were not mad.”

“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”

“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”

“Of pain you could wish only one thing: that it should stop. Nothing in the world was so bad as physical pain. In the face of pain there are no heroes.”

“To die hating them, that was freedom.”

Looking at all of that and many other elements, It’s really not hard to see why 1984 has cemented itself into legend.

My grade: ’84/’84