"Were things better than they are now, or were they worse?"

I have just finished part one of 1984 by George Orwell and so far, it is amazing. The amount of detail in the story, the complex future world Orwell created is so elaborate and realistic. It has its own language, government, and countries, but it could all be real. It is based in Earth, in the real world, in London, England, in a future that was entirely possible at the time in which it was written. Therein lies the horror of the story, what makes it truly frightening. This imaginary future Orwell created is not so far fetched and fictional. The basic ideas of the government, of Big Brother, were being implemented in Russia and its revolution at the time. The dystopia that is Oceania draws many parallels to the totalitarian Soviet Union in the 1940s, when 1984 was being written. Orwell was writing what could very well have been the future of not only Russia but England and the rest of Europe as well. It is a scary thought that our world today could be as oppressive and as full of lies as the world in 1984.

The lies are a significant part of Big Brother’s hold on Oceania. He is able to manipulate the past, present, and future, and the citizens not only blindly follow him but actually assist in distortion of the truth. They somewhat-willingly allow themselves to be manipulated and controlled, and contribute to the continuation of misery in their own pitiful lives. This is another thing that makes the story so unnerving. That what one thinks is a fact of the past is probably a complete fabrication, with little or no truth in it. This is slightly like history in the real world, where the same event can be told in very different ways by the different sides. Americans tell the American Revolution as a great victory over a horribly oppressive country that has no right to rule, but the British tell it as a rebellion from one unreasonably unruly colony. Those who rule get to decide how the story is told, and Big Brother makes sure every story is told as a victory for Oceania.

Winston, the protagonist, is constantly trying to figure out what of his knowledge is lies and what is truth. His need for the truth is a need for security in knowing who he is and where he came from. His need for answers is going to end up getting him into trouble and undoubtedly killed. He knows this, but he cannot stop, he cannot let it go, because he lives in a world of lies, and he cannot trust anyone but himself to be able to tell him the truth.