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himpersonal 's review for:
1984
by George Orwell
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Earlier this year, I read Sandra Newman's Julia, and I recently reread my review. It said I didn't like 1984, but I couldn't remember why. So I reread 1984, and now I realize I need to reread Julia to give it a fairer assessment, especially because in rereading 1984, I realized what I really disliked about the book was only Winston. Even before he's subjected to Big Brother, he thinks he's a good and strong human, but really, he is weak and horrid. I hated his admission to Julia of what he thought of her and wanted to do to her before they actually met (made me wish he would be the victim of those very sentiments). I hated that all it took were a few words from Julia for him to puff himself up into who he thought he was and what he thought he deserved.
Other than Winston, I enjoyed the book. Winston's treatment by Big Brother reminded me a bit of Nurse Ratched's torture of Mack in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
This book feels like the blueprint for Project 2025. Someday, I'd love to meet one of the Project 2025 architects and get an honest take on how they came to put it together. I would bet my most beloved possession that 1984 heavily influenced their strategy. The thing is, a lot of what's in the book has already proven true or been attempted (e.g., during the Japanese occupation in Korea, Koreans were prohibited from speaking Korean - all language was controlled in an attempt to break the Korean spirit). So they've got plenty of historical evidence of what was effective and what can be reinstated or revisioned. Scary times! Feels like I need to reread Animal Farm too now.
Other than Winston, I enjoyed the book. Winston's treatment by Big Brother reminded me a bit of Nurse Ratched's torture of Mack in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
This book feels like the blueprint for Project 2025. Someday, I'd love to meet one of the Project 2025 architects and get an honest take on how they came to put it together. I would bet my most beloved possession that 1984 heavily influenced their strategy. The thing is, a lot of what's in the book has already proven true or been attempted (e.g., during the Japanese occupation in Korea, Koreans were prohibited from speaking Korean - all language was controlled in an attempt to break the Korean spirit). So they've got plenty of historical evidence of what was effective and what can be reinstated or revisioned. Scary times! Feels like I need to reread Animal Farm too now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Police brutality, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism