When I first started 1984, I was very skeptical and thought to myself “a book that’s written in around 1946-1949 and published in 1949 can’t be ‘that good’ and probably won’t be my kind of book”.
However, I read lots of good reviews and the story really got my interest. So I still picked it up despite it not my “usual kind of book”.
I can tell you, I’m immensely perplexed on how insanely good the book is written. At first it felt slow-paced and not much happening but the more you read, the more it absorbs you into the story, the live of Winston, his thoughts and surroundings.
My thoughts about the book is a bit unorganized because I just finished it. But I just feel so sorry for Winston, the things he went through. Especially the torture part, that was insane. Painful to read even.
Things such as; “How many fingers am I holding up, Winston?” And he keeps getting tortured for actually being sane. While o’Brien, claims that Winston is “insane” and that the Party is doing these things to “make him sane again”. At one point in that torture, Winston even started to question his own sanity and at the point with the rats, that was wow..
I’m also surprised on how O’Brien was able to almost exactly know what Winston was thinking.
I also wonder about a few things regards the ending of the book which wasn’t clear for me. Like was O’Brien a fake rebel against the Party, was it all a lie for these 7 years that Winston, Julia and O’Brien worked together? This due to the fact that O’Brien tortured Winston (and Julia).
Also did Winston actually die or was it within his imagination? I mean it changes perspective from him sitting on the cafe to him suddenly being 40 years later, walking and then getting shot.
Was Big Brother a real person or someone the Party actually made up, O’Brien mentioned it was a real person but he also claims to be able to float if he wanted. Same question about the Brotherhood, if they actually existed or not, this was never clarified in the book (not to Winston and not to us as readers).
All in all, the book was good! But the ending left a sour taste because, I hoped that Winston and Julia would be able to get away and live somehow together.
by CurrentRisk