In March 2016, I read, for the first time, one of the most timeless classics: George Orwell’s 1984. I’d been craving a reread for quite a while but I wanted to wait till I owned an English copy so I could now experience the book in its original language since the first time around I had read a Portuguese translation. When I happened to stumble upon the edition I wanted, in March 2022, 6 years later, I couldn’t resist the impulse of buying the book and proceed to, almost immediately, dive into it.
And how incredible this reread was! I remembered only the loose outline of the book, with all the beautiful details forgotten. I remembered how the ending had struck me in such a powerful way. I also remembered how, back then at 16 years old, I was much more interested in the plot itself and had quickly skimmed through the Goldstein’s Manifesto, wanting to get back to Winston’s story. This time though, despite the fact that I still don’t particularly enjoy political themes, I found myself interested in this part of the book and even wanting more!
I had also missed, in my first read, how beautiful Orwell’s writing sometimes was. How even overwhelming it could feel. I took my time with this reread, limiting myself to only a few chapters a day and I delighted myself by slowly savouring each one, while, contradictorily, feeling more and more disturbed by what I read.
I can’t help but comment how in some ways, 1984 reminds me of two books I love, both by the horror King himself: The Shining and Pet Sematary. My favourite thing about these books is how what’s most horrifying about them is not the plot itself or the monsters, but rather the discovery of how human minds work, how they have so much hidden darkness ready to surface or how imagination is a tool for coping with certain experiences. Similarly, in 1984, Orwell plays with the moldability and manipulation of minds. What’s real and what’s just a product of our brain? How much of what we remember, of what we believe is true, is real? What is “real”? If there’s no one to think about things, to perceive them, do they still exist? How can we limit thoughts and by doing so, limit perceptions, actions, beliefs? A book indeed to put in the freezer: the kind of frightening that keeps you up at night!
1984 is not the cup of tea for everyone but nonetheless, I strongly believe it is one of those books that absolutely everyone should read. It’s the kind of book that awakens and shakes minds, that stirs up worlds and forces people to rethink things. It has been banned for being both pro-communism and anti-communism, maybe because, as the book says itself “the best books... are those that tell you what you know already”. And not always is a validation of your thoughts, most especially the scariest ones, welcomed.
