War is Peace

1984 – George Orwell.
A dark and apocalyptic tale, for dark and apocalyptic times.
The majority of the plot consists of Mr. Orwell’s somewhat jaded 1948 (that year that also gave us Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac, a work which largely presaged the environmental movement of today, but I digress) retelling of his earlier classic Animal Farm. Apparently the general public did not respond adequately to what was perceived as a childrens story. The story is an attempt to (rightfully) vilify communism by portraying a future where a post-communist fascist system has mutilated, or obliterated every modicum of free thought until all that is left is the mindless ring of groupthink. As you may expect from Orwell’s other works the portrayal of the communist system is an attack on what it does to the human condition, not at all what it is in theory. There is much to be said for this praxis approach of looking at the results and actions as opposed to the intentions and desires. (more on this later)

Winston Smith, our hero as it were, is trapped within this uber-communist system and trapped within his own unconscious desire for both freedom and real truth. This is either Orwell’s ideal man, or a roundabout mockery of Toulouse Lautrec .....oh come on it's a joke based on Moulin Rouge.....ah, never mind.

As his last book the premise of the novel as a warning could come off as either a bit presumptuous, or frighteningly prescient. Viewed with the full banner of history unfolded before us, it is probably the latter - although the devil of the repressive regime has escaped its cage of communism - or more likely was never in it. It may be important for this century to note that Mr. Orwell was a devout Socialist and the idea of capitalism may have been a close second on his black list right after communism. Consequently the decidedly capitalist leaning viewpoint it seems to infer is nothing more than the filter which the American educational system has lent it.

The real question for our time is what are high school students who read this thinking now? Is it of the regimes of Stalin and Castro, or is it of social restrictions, fearmongering and doublespeak (the title is drawn from the book) that we see all too frequently today?

Nevertheless this is an excellent book if for nothing more than some frighteningly clear prescience and the portrayal of a man in search of real peace, knowledge, love and truth – and of course the destruction that leads him to.

Rating: A-

Other related works:
The Road to Wigan Pier – Orwell
Brave New World – Huxley
A Clockwork Orange – Anthony Burgess