George Orwell’s 1984 is a dystopian novel written in 1949 during the atrocities of WW2. This story follows the life of Winston Smith, who lives a double-faced life. During work, he tried to conform to the Party’s ideals. The Party is the tyrannous government in this story. What they say is a fact. Although at home, he writes in a diary that he bought from O’Brian’s store. Then, during Winston’s work, he meets a girl walking down a hall, where she dropped a note stating her love for Winston. Although Winston is already married, he accepted her offer. Then they have some victories in going against the Party, but in the end, O’Brian, the bookseller, who is part of the government, called teams to capture Winston. Then they tortured Winston until he gave up his place in replacement for Julia. But by then, he conformed with the ideals of the Party. 1984 focuses on the impact of a totalitarian society on the people that live in it. But, while reading 1984, there was a concern that reading 1984 after Fahrenheit was worth it; since they are both dystopian novels in the same period. But, even with those similarities, there were also many differences. One major difference between the two books was how optimistic Fahrenheit was compared to the pessimistic narrator of 1984. Fahrenheit ended with the city being controlled and bombed, with optimism on how to replace it, where there is now hope for a different type of society in its place. On the other hand, 1984 ended with Winston betraying Julia and Winston succumbing to the Party’s expectations. So, while there are similarities, these two books build up on one another because of their differences, making reading Fahrenheit and 1984 worth it. Overall, George Orwell's 1984 is still relevant, enlightening the newer generation about the dangers of a dystopian society. I had a hard time understanding some of the concepts. Although listening to my teachers talk about Fahrenheit helped me understand the topics in 1984. But by thinking about the topics covered in both books, I better understood the risks of a totalitarian society. And I am quite thrilled that this future didn’t happen, and I am excited to reread this book for next year, and maybe with more analysis and thoughts added to it.
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