Now that you are the dystopian experts ... let's chat about this last little masterpiece. This one is arguably the darkest of the three and for most of us, it left us with the "ickiest" feeling. What does Orwell do to create this feeling? How does he do it?
Or, as an alternative, why do you feel differently? Did you find another one of the dystopian novels to be "ickier" than this one? (These are technical terms, you know!!) ;-)
I believe that this is the darkest of the three novels because it is the one that ends the unhappiest. In Anthem, he was able to escape. In Brave New World, he manages to escape society through death, but even that was not as depressing as 1984. In this novel, Orwell shows how the Party really got to his character, Winston. The Party breaks him down until he has nothing left, and renounces the only things he had left, Julia and his independence. Even in Brave New World, John does not give in to society. However, in 1984, Winston does admit defeat, leaving readers with the idea that evil does win in the end.
ReplyDelete1984 was definately the darkest. The "hero" ended up giving up. Just like Kelli said, at least the other two were able to escape. By using third person limited, Orwell shows the effect that the Party has on Winston and how much it just breaks him down. Winston gives in because there is no way out. In short the "Hero" is defeated and this creates the "icky" feeling.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that 1984 was the darkest. However, I do not believe that the book was "icky" because the "Hero" was defeated in the end. I believe that the reader feels terrible about the ending because he/she realizes that all of their previous premonitions of the "Brotherhood" being an excercise in futility were true. Winston was not defeated in the end. He was defeated the moment he was born into the hell-hole of 1984. Reading the book was like living in 1984; you can have hope, but you know whats going to happen in the end..
ReplyDeleteI agree with 1984 being the darkest of the dystopian literature that we have read. But, I believe Orwell allows readers to "watch" as Winston lives his life in a collective society and how he is tortured, forced to comply with Big Brother and then killed in the end as a means to give us a warning about our future. This causes the reader to learn more through Winston's experiences, instead of writing off the book as mere entertainment with an ending where the main character proved to "save the day" or changed the aspect of his society.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that 1984 is the darkest of the three dystopian novels because compared to Anthem and Brave New World, 1984 gives readers a more realistic prediction as to how society could be in the future. The book gives a grim warning as to how life would be lived in a totalitarian government with vivid descriptions of Winston's every day life. The reality is that what occured throughout 1984 could eventually happen and perhaps this is what leaves the reader with the "icky" feelings.
ReplyDeleteI agree that 1984 was the darkest novel out of the three. One part of the this is because the characters in the story seem more like us than in the other books. Personally, I could connect better with Winston than with Bernard or Equality 7-2521. When you combine that with the more realistic depiction of the future, it would tend to leave readers feeling apprehensive and "icky". And, as other people mentioned, when the Hero is defeated in the end, you are never left with a good feeling.
ReplyDeleteOK, so a few of you have weighed in ... let me add this: I think the novel is "icky" (I'm going to tire of this word!!) :-) long before the final chapter. I certainly agree that it contributes, but what else is contributing to that overall mood?
ReplyDelete(Just trying to help out the 15 of you who haven't posted yet!!) ;-)
I think it's the most disturbing, but since I really doubt it would ever happen I don't experience the ick factor. The scenario depicted in BNW is a lot more likely to occur, I mean come on test tube babies already exist, they just took it one step further. Dudes, 1984 is not the future, socialization is already in our society and it works pretty well.
ReplyDeleteI think Brave New World is a lot "ickier". Winston atleast now believes in the party doctrine,fits into society and is alive. John from BNW couldnt stand the society he was living in either, but he couldn't be forced to agree with society like Winsotn was. Jonh could not escape the world he initally wanted to experience, and he killed himself because of it.
ReplyDeleteWell.... Another thing that might contribute to the ick factor is that the Party knows that they are cruel and unjust and openly admit to it, but they have everybody so brainwashed that nobody does anything about it. I mean, to be able to be talking about being at war with one country and in the middle of your speech switch to another country and the entire audience believes you were talking about that country all along? The people have to be really gullible and brain washed to believe that. Privacy does not exist. Someone is watching their every move and they don't even care?!? The people are basically robots there to do the Party's biding. O'Brien even said that there are no more men, Winston was the "last man" before he had betrayed Julia. It's scary to think that all this was inspired by what Orwell had actually seen and gone through.
ReplyDeleteI once read a novel called 'Feed' which was way more "ick" than any of the novels we have read so far... and way more similar to our current state of being! In Feed, everybody had a computer chip in their brain. This was the norm. People used the Feed for everything. Nobody spoke verbally to each other because they could just chat through the Feed. Nobody bothered to learn anything because they could pull up information on demand using the Feed. Nobody even shopped in real-life stores, because everything for sale was available on the Feed. Life is a constant bombardment of noise and advertising. A person's every thought is monitored by the Feed, and all of that data is used to create a consumer profile on them. It's all just an extreme form of what the Internet is doing to us today.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I anybody wants to read this book, you can borrow it from me. :D
So 1984 in my opinion, was just crazy! It's scary to think about because it's so "far out" and no one thinks it's even possible to occur, but yet it can. It's weird to think how everyone knows what's going on yet chooses to ignore it and everyone is perfectly content living in a world that reveals no sense of reality. Even a person as defiant as Winston doesn't stand a chance against the Party, meaning that no one can ever be his own person, despite how much we want to fight it. We are what the higher authority tells us we are. That is a concept that is hard to grasp, but can you prove that it's not true? hence the "icky feeling" Orwell knew how we as people think and knows what we can and cannot control. kudos to for the icky feeling.
ReplyDeleteOk so I think this book was "icky" because of the characters. You could not trust anyone, and even your own children would turn on you. Not to mention the fact that you are constantly being watched. I also thought it was creepy that a lot of Orwell's story was based on real events. I thought it was sad that Winston died in the end, but it was inevitable. The scariest part is that this world could have been an alternate reality to today if the bad guys would have won WWII.
ReplyDeleteps this is my 3rd time writing this.
I think this was the most intense and realistic novel out of the 3 we have read so far. I think the fact that our society has so many things closely related to this book is what makes it so dramatic and hard to think about. The POV this is written in also makes the ending more intense because we have been with Winston through the whole story and once we find out what happens to him in the end, it makes in so much more effective.
ReplyDelete1984 really drug you into the book during part three. orwells explicit explaination of why they were doing... all of this really got me believing in the book and i think this is why this is the darkest of the three books we read. It is surreal and terrifying you felt like you were right there with Winston right up to the ending.
ReplyDelete1984 was deffinitly the darkest of the three novels. This is because the dystopian society described is probably the closest to what our future could hold for us.
ReplyDeleteI believe 1984 was the darkest of the three novels because our hero hopelessy gave up. In Brave New World and in Anthem they were in some way able to escape. In 1984 Winston is torchered by the Party and then just gives in. Then is shot in the head, and the last thought he has in his head is that he loves Big Brother...which is stupid!
ReplyDeleteI think 1984 is the darkest because at least in the other books there was some kind of difference that was made within the story. In Anthem the guy got away and started his own community, and in Brave New World the savage killed himself, but by doing that he was making a statement to everyone. But in 1984 he just became one of the masses...he did the opposite of what the audience wanted. I hate it when that happens in books. I mean if the ending is going to be a bummer, the author should at least put alittle twist to it...not just I love big brother, the end. That's boring.
ReplyDeleteWOW TOTAL WASTE OF TIME. 1985 WAS SO MUCH BETTER!!!!!!
ReplyDelete-This is not Mike Meder
Do I need to block you???
ReplyDelete;-)
1984 is definitely the darkest of the dystopian novel, in my opinion, because it left me very unsatisfied and disturbed. It was interesting yet scary how Big Brother was able to control every aspect of society, history, and people's lives. (with the exception of the proles) As the book progressed, I was excited and wanted to see Winston and Julia rebel and overcome Big Brother. It was very "icky" when they ended up being betrayed by Charrington and O'Brian and caught and tortured. The worst part was the end when Winston was totally brainwashed and loved Big Brother which means he lost his battle...very disturbing
ReplyDeleteSAY WHATTTT!!!! don't block me. I'm an unseen critic.
ReplyDelete1984 is a book which is wrapped in hidden controversies of love and being self imprisoned behind those who oppress him. it is of a longing to be accepted in the long fabled rebel community and is over how the fathoms of intense oppression eventually break the man into giving up his own personal beliefs and his love for julia. THis book not only encompasses english as a whole but goes into the depths of multiple subjects and fields ranging from english to even politics. The mere essence of the opressive regime shows a poplitical pawn game. THis book however i did not completely enjoy however one derived meaning i drew from this literary piece is that of how the hardeset task to complete in life is that of finally confronting your final fear. your darkest fear.
Don't block me! i am a very important role in this blog :)
But to answer this so called icky scene. This book plays a very icky feeling. For at the end it shows the triumph over the evil in comapared to the good as you read you long for winston to not braek down but what you least desire happens. winston breaks down and admits defeat. It leaves a feeling of dispair and agony. very griping ending.
Hmmm... doesn't sound like Mike Meder ...
ReplyDelete