1984

1984

Book Report By:

Claudia Yaeger

6th Hour C.P. English 11

Due: February 25,2002

1.) Title: 1984

Published: Harcourt, Barce, and Company, Inc. in 1949

Author: George Orwell

Where book was acquired: Wittenberg Library: Wausau Library.

2.) What type of book: Fiction, told in First Person

3.) Characters:

1.) Winston Smith- Is a 39-year-old male, who lost his wife eleven years earlier, and his mother and sister a long while before that. He is unhappy with his home, and wants to rebel against Big Brother.

2.) Julia- Is a younger female, in her 20's, who falls in love with Winston. She is also unhappy with her home, and wants to rebel against Big Brother.

3.) O'Brien- Is a male in his late 30's who is a spy for Big Brother. He follows up on what everyone does, and makes sure they don't break the law. He wants to catch Winston, and punish him.

4.) Parsons- Is a male in his early 30's, and also is Winston's neighbor, who is always worried about things, paranoia. He just wants to live his life, and not get caught by the thought police.

5.) Katherine- She was Winston's dead wife. All she ever wanted was a family, and to be loved, but because of this was vaporized because love was a crime.

4.) Two main conflicts:

1.) Winston Vs Society

In this story, Winston believes that people should be able to be free to express their own emotions, and love one another. The Society, Big Brother, disagreed, and said it was against the law to do so. After breaking this law, Winston eventually gets caught, and brainwashed until he believes that Big Brother is right.

2.) Winston Vs Self

Throughout this story, Winston has many encounters with himself, and his own problems. For example he thinks that he is the reason why his sister and mother died, or how he believes that he should be able to speak freely, and act freely. He eventually overcomes these things, but then gets caught and brainwashed to forget everything.

5.) Setting:

Where: Oceania, a destroyed city in London.

When: 1984

6.) Plot: Summary of Orwell's 1984

Winston Smith works at the Ministry of Truth. Ministry of Truth, is one of four

Government buildings in destroyed London, once a province of Oceania. His job is to correct printed articles in line with the Party's orders. The Ministry and records department jobs are to rewrite history to make the party look good. They get a break because of the 2-minute hate, which is a two-minute period where they loathe the enemy.

During this time, three countries are at war, Oceania, Eurasia and East Asia. Oceania is where Winston lives, and it is run by the party whose leader is Big Brother.

Winston had a wife, Katherine, which he has not seen in eleven years. He resents the intrusion of the Party into the sex lives of its members, and also realizes the discouragement of sexual enjoyment, that makes any love affair with a party member impossible. Winston is sick of his life in the ruined city and decides to keep a diary, which is very illegal. He also felt his feelings begin to hate Emmanuel Goldstein, leader of the enemy party. At a political gathering, with many other people, he also spots O'Brien, a party leader whose eyes he sees a bit of political sympathy and a young girl, who he dislikes.

Mrs. Parsons, his neighbor, is a follower of party doctrine, and a fellow employee at the ministry. Her children are members of Spies, a youth that encourages spying and telling on traitors, including parents.

Before long, Winston starts to have dreams about his mother and sister. He can barely remember their disappearance and feels responsible for there deaths. He also has another dream where he is in the perfect countryside with the girl he had noticed earlier, and didn't like. He wakes up by the telescreen, telling him to do his exercises. He thinks about how much power the Party has over everyone.

Winston meets Syme, a philologist, for lunch. Syme explains parts about Newspeak. Winston starts to think that Syme will be vaporized because he is to smart. He is the only one who has not been taken over by the propaganda that is always being broadcast. What the party does, is take a person, and brainwash them, making them believe only what the party wants them to believe. He then notices the same girl from the other day starring at him and thinks she is the thought police.

Soon He meets Mr. Charrington, who owns a little shop. Mr. Charrington shows him a room upstairs and Winston dreams of renting it, because it has no telescreen.

At work he runs into the dark haired girl again, in the hallway. She falls, and while he is lifting her up she slips him a note. He reads it at his desk and is amazed to find that it simple states, I love you. Eager and excited to meet with her again, he waits seven days, until they eat together in the cafeteria. They decide to meet in Victory Square. When meeting there, they arrange another meeting the next Sunday afternoon. At the designated meeting place, in the countryside outside London, he finally learns her name. Julia explains that she considers herself rebellious to the party. She has had sex with many other non-members. Suddenly he walks into the scene exactly like his dream. She removes her clothes and they have sex. He believes that sexual desire may be the force that destroys the party. Following their secret meeting they meet each other occasionally. They go months without seeing each other, but whenever they can, they are together. She believes that she must pretend to cooperate with the party and secretly break the rules whenever possible. Winston thinks that rebellion is the best answer. Together they discuss past girl and boyfriends and how the party controls them. Eventually Winston does rent the room above the antique store, and realizes the foolishness of what he and Julia are doing. She brings him coffee and real sugar, which she manages to steal, and real old-fashioned