1984

1984 by George Orwell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

1984 follows a three-part linear narrative structure that enables the reader to experience Winston’s dehumanization along with him, creating tension and sympathy for the main characters. Time in 1984 generally proceeds in a linear fashion, except for a few flashbacks to Winston’s career at the Ministry of Truth, his disastrous marriage, and his early life with his mother and sister, memories sparked by events taking place in his presence. In the novel’s early exposition, we immediately learn that we’re in a world where normal rules don’t apply: “It was a cold day in April, and clocks were striking thirteen.” We learn about the existence of Big Brother, meet the protagonist Winston Smith, and see glimpses of the society he lives in. Through details such as the smell of the building and the electricity that has been rationed in preparation for Hate Week, we learn that the book takes place in a repressive society with few creature comforts. The initiating incident that sets the plot in motion occurs when Winston begins to write his subversive thoughts in his diary. He begins to think of himself as “already dead,” suggesting he has abandoned the impulse for self-preservation, and his life has little value to him, making him ready to sacrifice it to a cause.