In the current day, privacy is an illusion. Data about all members of the population is harvested and stored to make money. This data is gathered by some of the most powerful companies in the world, and increasingly is being used against the population. Oppressive governments access information to target those they feel are a threat, or those they disagree with. Without security and anonymity, potential targets are exposed. Where do we draw a line?
In 1984 by George Orwell, the readers learn about a dystopian Oceania built on the manipulation of the press and free will. Winston Smith is a government employee and a low class citizen of the country. Winston works at the Ministry of Truth (MiniTru) rewriting history to fit the needs of the government, or “The Party”. He lives in fear of the Thought Police, a secretive organization created to remove all opposition to the Party, and that is said to be able to track everyone’s thoughts. Winston develops a romance with a coworker, Julia, despite the fact that love for any person or thing other than the Party is banned in Oceania. He longs to join a secret brotherhood of rebels and fight the party, but after attempting to do so, Winston and Julia are caught and taken to jail, where they are tortured. 1984 follows the psychological and physical manipulation of a population and the limitless power of a corrupt government.
Orwell plays mental tricks on both Winston and the reader throughout the novel. He leads the reader through many false constructs before finally explaining the correct ones. 1984 questions many of today's ideals in a meaningful way. When a senior Party member called O’Brien claims to Winston that the Party sought power only because “men in the mass were frail, cowardly creatures who could not endure liberty or face the truth” (262) and manages to manipulate Winston into agreeing with him, Orwell challenges today's belief that a society has the right to rule itself, and brings to question the basis of democracy through O'Brien. He strongly supports the idea that anyone can be beaten into submission via physical or psychological pain, and he illustrates this when both Winston and Julia become loyal members of the Party after manipulation.
Orwell’s intentional use of words and wordplay to describe Oceania helps to paint a stark picture. Winston is coming home from work when Orwell describes the scene as “a bright cold day” (1) and talks about the clocks “striking thirteen” (1). Orwell talks about the “vile wind” (1) of Oceania and this language helps to paint a detailed picture of what living in Oceania was like for Winston. The birds-eye view a reader gets over Winston and his affairs makes the story all the more unique.
Many of the realities faced by Winston in 1984 are starting to parallel issues of the modern day. Virtually all personal information is owned and traded by large corporations, be it banks or technology companies, and the use of this information can be deadly. Most recently, Apple has come under fire for allowing the Chinese government to target a racial minority and potentially eliminate them. As Orwell predicted, we’ve gotten into risky territory. You can read more about the Apple incident here: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-cyber/apple-says-uighurs-targeted-in-iphone-attack-but-disputes-google-findings-idUSKCN1VR29K.
If you have enjoyed dystopian books in the past you’ll definitely enjoy Orwell’s classic. The book is known to be one of the first to share such provocative dystopian ideas. If you want to read something relevant to today’s political climate, this book is a must-read. 1984 by George Orwell presents an important message about privacy and the power of information in a way that even Orwell could not have predicted.
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