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Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'
1984 by Humberto Eco, Miguel Temprano García, George Orwell, George Orwell
318 reviews
Why should one feel it to be intolerable unless one had some kind of ancestral memory that things had once been different?
Orwell experienced the dictatorships of both Nazism and Stalinism, drawing on these experiences to create the novel's plotline. The book serves as an eye-opener to the true nature of totalitarian governments. The book shows the forced brainwashing and submission of people. The practice of being punished for thoughts alone. However, with the lack of technology during these past dictatorships, total control of people cannot happen. Orwell then writes about a dystopian future where even things like marriages should only happen if the government agrees upon it, where kids are trained to be spies even to their parents—even the smallest space inside one’s home can be monitored by the thought police.
The book is well thought from the portrayal of what happens during war down to the limitations of language used. However, there seems to still be an issue with the portrayal of women. In a book where every societal issue was adressed, the patriarchy is still implied as “normal”. No woman was ever portrayed as someone who’s not used for pleasure or someone that’s not submissive.
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, War, Classism
Moderate: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Stalking, Abandonment
This isn't the kind of book that I'd typically go for but it was free as part of my audible subscription so I figured why not and I'm so glad I did.
The world building was incredible and had a very gripping way of highlighting the issues of oppression and dictatorship.
The voice acting was fantastic and really helped me connect with the characters on a deeper level and I really did feel for them.
O'brien,
Would I give such a high rating if I read the book as opposed to listening to the audiobook? I honestly can't say, but this was amazing and I highly recommend this to anyone looking to get immersed in a story!
Graphic: Body horror, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Alcohol, War
Minor: Child death, Misogyny
Graphic: Confinement, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Gaslighting, War, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Classism
Minor: Child death, Rape, Death of parent
Graphic: Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Alcohol, War
Moderate: Rape
Themes I Loved: writing as resistance, the power of controlling reality, state violence & normalized brutality, manufacturing distracting for the poor, silent/subconscious protest.
One of the most powerful moments is Winston’s journaling. The simple act of writing becomes an act of rebellion — a form of spiritual and political survival. As he says:
“But so long as he uttered it, in some obscure way the continuity was not broken. It was not by making yourself heard but by staying sane that you carried on the human heritage.” (p. 27)
The Party doesn’t just surveil — it controls memory, history, and even thought. This is the essence ce of power. To subjugate the mind. As O’Brien says, “God is power”. This theme chilled me. It’s about manufacturing the conditions of truth, and by doing so, shaping the soul of a society. You control reality in multifaceted ways. That’s why there is a system dedicated to it.
I was struck by the normalization of public violence — watching, participating, even fantasizing about it. It reminded me of American history: the postcards of lynchings, the picnic-like atmospheres, the grotesque glee. Violence becomes a ritual of allegiance. It becomes culture.
I was haunted by Winston’s description of that felt, instinctual resistance:
Even without full awareness, the body resists. There is protest in the gut, in the skin, in the ache of knowing something isn’t right — even if you can’t articulate it. That feeling is universal.
My favorite overall quote: “In a way, the worldview of the Party imposed itself most successfully on people incapable of understanding it. They could be made to accept the most flagrant violations of reality, because they never fully grasped the enormity of what was demanded of them, and were not sufficiently interest in public events to notice what was happening. By lack of understanding, they remained sane. They simply swallowed everything, and what they swallowed did them no harm, because it left no residue behind, just as a grain if corn will pass in digested through the body of a bird”.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, War
Chapter 9 is very hard to keep up with, it's not like the rest.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Police brutality, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War
Minor: Fatphobia, Homophobia
Graphic: Physical abuse, Torture, Violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Alcohol, War
Minor: Rape
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Physical abuse, Torture, Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Police brutality, War
Minor: Sexual content