1984 - More than just a theory by one single man?

 Perhaps one did not need to be loved so much as to be understood. - George Orwell, 1984

This book really makes you question society, authority figures, and basically the entire system as a whole. I absolutely loved it!

There is a lot to I would love to unpack in this book, but I would honestly end up writing an entire thesis if I was to mention everything that went through my mind as I read this masterpiece. Ironically, I randomly happened to go from reading 1984 to The Giver straight afterwards. I am not so sure that was the best idea for someone who might be slightly prone to conspiracy theories, but what's done is done. Having said this, there are a lot of parallels in the two books, and they both make you think outside the box and wonder if everything you knew to be true might just be a lie. Furthermore, it makes you wonder what the future might look like for the coming generations, whether or not there might in fact be some truth to his words, and how on earth Orwell came up with this particular theory.

1984 basically portrays a theory of Orwell's that addresses what the world might look like a few decades following the period when the book was written, in 1949. The book is mostly known for the idea of Big Brother is watching. No one really knows who the leader of this particular society is, but there are different ranks within the system, which gives an idea as to whom might (possibly) know the highest of the highest. This society is built on fear and of a rigid routine. In its essence, you can trust no one, and no one will trust you. Something doesn't sit right with the protagonist by the way society is run, but he knows that even questioning the authority of Big Brother will get him into trouble.

This book is so intriguing, mystical, and wonderfully written, with beautifully detailed descriptions, however, still leaving quite a bit of room for imagination. Furthermore, the story has a natural progression, and the book introduces a lot of new words such as doublethink and thoughtcrimes. I absolutely love learning new words, and all though these might not be very applicable for daily life and small talk, the nerd in me will definitely try to implement as many as possible in different scenarios. There is too much to say about this book, but please do yourself the honour of at the least reading the abridged version. I can almost guarantee that you will not regret it!

To keep this relatively short, I will end on this note - an afterthought: Orwell may have only portrayed a one-sided and biased opinion on Stalinism, but his allergory of how this society was run has a lot of potential truth to it. The depth of communism, particularly in the late 20th Century, may be somewhat hidden from the public eye, and generally difficult to get an accurate picture of, but I personally think there was quite a bit of truth to Orwell´s theory. Now, I am by no means saying that this theory was (or is) an accurate presentation of how society was (or is) run - whether you are talking about GB, the previous Soviet Union, or a different country and/or territory - however, I am saying that there was, in my opinion, some truth to it. On a similar note, I believe that we can draw parallels to modern society in different parts of the world, and I think the general message of this book is to think critically towards authority and the system, and to be aware of both where society potentially seemed to be headed at the time, and not to mention how it might progress in the future. Let it be a warning and an encouragement to reflect on where we are headed, which choices we make, and the fact that each person has the right to voice their opinion. Let us not keep quiet about important issues, but regardless of whether or not a change is to happen, let us at least warn people about the potential dangers of blindly following authority. Let us encourage one another to be aware of damage that is happening to individuals within the system, in order to hopefully bring about change in the future.