The story begins by introducing its main character, Winston Smith to us on a cold day in April with vile wind. He enters an apartment complex and as he walks through the hallways, we get a sense that this is probably not the most wonderful place to live. As he goes up the stairs, there are multiple posters of a harsh looking man and the slogan underneath of them reads "Big Brother is Watching You." While we have only seen these government posters a couple times so far, they will proove to be very prominent throughout this first section of reading, and probably the whole book.
Once in the apartment, Orwell give the reader a visual of what Winston looks like. He is a frail man who has a meagerness about him. His small size only emphasizes the appearance of his blue overalls, which are a uniform of the "Party." What is the party? My guess is that it has to do with the government and why Winston is looking the way he is. Winston appears to be a man way beyond his age in years.
Still in his apartment, Winston gazes out his window to see a cold looking world. He describes the wind blowing dust and papers around, and he even describes the sky. However, he fails to mention any people walking around outside. The description he gives of the streets below him is very straight forward if we look at how weather relates to the world around us. By saying the wind is blowing viley and how cold it is, we get a sense that the society is cruel and worn out. What strikes me is when Winston says the sky is a harsh blue, but there doesn't seem to be any color in anything except for the posters. This tells me that the government is the only thing that matters and that almost all personality has been stripped away from Winston, and probably others.
One thing I would like to point out about the posters is how Winston describes them while he's looking out the window. "The black-mustachioed face gazed down from every commanding corner. There was one on the house front immediately opposite." This to me almost sounds like a Godly figure, in the way that it's always watching. Even though it doesn't appear to be a particularly nice figure, it gives the same impression.
From looking out to window, we start to hear about the telescreen. The telescreen picks up every sound louder than a whisper and can actually see what a person is doing. The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear about people being watched is the saying "Character is who you are when nobody is watching." This makes me think how can anyone have character? No one can be an individual if they're not free to develop themselves.
As the book continues, Winston is still gazing out his window. It is now that we are made aware that this city is actually London. What's sad is that he can hardly remember a time when the city didn't look so grim. The houses remind me of what a disaster zone would look like. And apparently it is a disaster zone because he mentions that certain areas have been bombed. Everything looks trecherous, except for one - the Ministry of Truth. The ministry of truth is huge, white, and looks out upon the city. This somewhat affirms my thoughts of the posters being God-like, except now I think it is the government as a whole which is to be treated like God. It's very ironic, though, because the color of white represents innocence, yet this government definitely seems to lack that.
On the fence of the Ministry of Truth there are three slogans of the "Party." They read: WAR IS PEACE FREEDOM IS SLAVERY and IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH. All I have to say to that is wow. If this is the type of government people are living with, how do they live? It is so completely corrupt in every way.
Finally, Winston moves away from the window to the kitchen where he downs a tea cup of "Victory Gin." This gives him quite the shock, but it's only a moment before he begins to feel better. He then goes to smoke some "Victory Cigarettes." What does it mean that everything is "Victory?" The apartments, the gin, the smokes - what is the victory? Is it the governments victory that they are controlling every aspect of life down to the cigarettes one buys? I actually find it quite ironic that one of the Victory Cigarettes falls apart when Winston first takes it out of the pack. I think that very cigarette could possibly represent the government falling apart at some point. Then again, the cigar might just be a cigar in this case... Either way, it's ironic, because that cigarette was not a victory, it was a failure.
Soon after Winston lights his cigarette, he is able to find a place outside of the telescreen range! It is here he opens a diary. We soon learn however, that even opening that diary is punishable by death. However, I think Winston is so tired of his current lifestyle that he is to the point of no longer caring. He begins to write. He tells a story about his previous night in which he went to the movies. The movies were all war films and the audience was highly amused whenever somebody was blown up or killed. (in this journal entry I must point out that he talks about helicopters hovering over those in the life boat... freedom symbol? I think so)
After writing for a bit, Winston thinks about his day so far. He describes one girl which he hates because of her involvement with the Junior Anti Sex League. From what he can tell this girl is devoted to the Party. What I find crazy about the government putting on an Anti-Sex League, their population is going to die because there will be no reproduction. So the government may think it's doing a splendid thing for the people by controlling sex as well, but in the end the only chance the government will have at survival is for people to do it.
Winston goes on to describe other people at his work place. One of them is a man named O'Brien and he holds great importance in the ministry. While he is a harsh looking man, he does have a charm about him, which could either be a great thing or a horrible thing.
Soon after O'Brien is depicted, the Two Minutes Hate commences. This is an extremely intense part of the story so far. It is wicked chaos, but how could we expect anything but that? By now, we have definitely gotten a sense of how intrusive the government is and now, the people under its dictatorship have two minutes to show emotion! The amount of tension these people carry around with them is undeniably high and to have two minutes to release it is hardly enough. Inevitably chaos takes over. I do find it strange that the government is actually allowing these two minutes to show hatrid toward them. Do they know they are hated or would they rather see hate happen than, say, Two Minutes Love?
As soon as the hate time ends, people cease their barbaric behavior. And instead of hatrid, they show devotion. They chant BB...BB... over and over as if it's a huge cult and they are worshiping their savior. In fact, one woman actually calls the telescreen her savior and extends her arms toward it as if she wants to be closer. These people are truly brain washed. What's somewhat crazy to me is Winston. He couldn't help but engage in the Two Minute Hate time, but he also, shamefully, chants along with the rest of the office as if he is devoted to the Party as well. It's no wonder he has a drinking problem! However, something happens during that time of Party exhultion; Winston and O'Brien see each other for an instant in a way that says "I feel exactly what you're feeling." This is monumental to Winston because he briefly gets away from the feeling of emense isolation! However, what is kind of ironic about this incident is that, even though they're both thinking thoughts of something other than devotion, they're still thinking the same thing. This tells me that yes, while they aren't completely brainwashed by the party, there are only two ways of thinking. Devotion and Hatrid. So even though this isn't the response the Party wants from its, dare I say, citizens, they've still won because even the thoughts of hate are the same. Still this moment gives Winston hope in others around him.
Suddenly, Winston comes out of his day dream to find that he has written "DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER" multiple times down his diary. These are words that could easily get him killed. However, I think they are the start of something more. Could a revolt be in the works? Is it possible that the brotherhood really does exist?
As he is writing more words that could cause trouble for him there is a startling knock at the door. He's terrified that somebody might see what he has just written, but yet he leaves it open. I believe this gesture shows that he really doesn't care if he gets murdered for his actions. Luckily(?) for him, it's only Mrs. Parsons, a woman who lives down the hall. She needs help fixing her sink and explains that if her husband Tom were home, he would do it. She says this many times as if Tom isn't coming home. In the time Winston is in her apartment fixing the sink, the children are absolutely wrechid. It's clear that they've been raised with views of the Party and they are very into the polital aspect of their lives. It's fairly creepy how the children are lively yet they have no real identity or soul, yet the parents / older people appear to be old and deathly, yet still contain a slight personality inside of them. One of the reasons that I don't think Tom is coming home is because of what is said about children giving their parents up to the thought police. Judging by the way the kids are behaving and Mrs. Parsons's attitude, that is probably what happened. The poor woman is in denial. But what's worse, being in denial or facing the reality that your own child had your husband vaporized??
When Winston gets back to his apartment, we learn about a dream he once had. In it, someone in the darkness said to him "Someday we will meet in a place where there is no darkness." I believe this is definitely foreshaddowing that there is an underground brotherhood and while they are literally in the darkness, their spirits are much lighter.
"Nothing is your own except a few cubic centimeters in your soul." Prior to this sentence, there is a rundown of everything which has its eyes on the society. This little section gives the true sense of isolation which is going on withing Winston's mind.
As the story continues, Winston describes other dreams. I think that while there is significance in what he's dreaming, I think it is the fact that he's dreaming at all which is most important. Dreaming is a natural part of human life. It is something which the thought police cannot control and Winston does not feel stressed because he does it. By having this time to let the mind flow freely, Winston is able to recall memories and be creative which he is not able to do when he's awake.
Winston is awakened to the sound of the telescreen. Suddenly he is overtaken by a coughing fit and his vericose ulcer acts up. As quickly as his coughing started, a cruel women's voice came over the telescreen instructing that they were to make groups of people in their 30s and 40s. This woman is one of the Physical Jerks and she is an exercise instructor. She's definitely not pleasant at all, and Winston is forced to fake enjoyment of the aerobics even though he's still in pain from his hacking bought. As the exercising goes on, Winston tries to remember the time before life was so horrible. Here it is revealed that there is more than just a war going on, there was an atomic bomb dropped. (Hence his cough?) This forces him into thought about the past.
Winston has been effected by the Party in a way where he doesn't even trust his own memory. He doesn't know for sure who's been allies with who and the Party has totally controlled that. Even if they make a mistake, they can completely erase it from the people living under rule. The people are so brain washed that if the Party tells them something, it must be the correct answer. Therefore, nobody can keep trust in his or herself.
This book gives me an eerie feeling. I notice that it was written in 1949 which was not far after the Holocaust and Hitler's dictarorship ways. I was thinking maybe Orwell was inspired by this event and the everlasting war is caused because Hitler is still overtaking countries. I might be completely off, but that's definitely the image I get.
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