Novel Project - Biography of George Orwell

! Spoiler Warning: There is a chance this entry may contain some spoilers for 1984, but seeing as to how I'm too lazy to read over the whole thing and decide officially, you might just want to not read this until you've read 1984. But it's up to you. !


It seems to me that Orwell is very much so against authority. In school or in a war, Orwell is reported to hate any kind of authority around him, so much that he writes essays and a few books about his experiences. An example would be when he attended a school called St. Cyprian’s, where he had many bad experiences that he wrote about in his book Such, Such Were the Joys. Later in life, Orwell fought for the Republicans in a group called POUM (Workers’ Party Marxist Unification). He wrote a book based off of his experiences there called Homage to Catalonia. In it, he talked about how he approved of Spain’s loose class structure. Later in Orwell’s life, he became poor and homeless, wandering the streets of Paris and London and encountering others who he took a liking to because of their lack of routine and their uniqueness. He must have enjoyed his time with them, seeing as to how he despises authority. At one point during his homeless experience, he attempted and succeeded in getting arrested for being drunk, so that he could see what it was like in prison. Although a bit crazed, Orwell was clever in gaining knowledge to write about his hate of authority.

The connection between Orwell and his character Winston is really incredible. If you take Winston’s character and traits and compare them with Orwell’s, there is little difference. In 1984, Winston is against totalitarianism, as is Orwell. When Winston talks of the bad things that the government in his world is doing, they are all things that Orwell truly believes. At one point in Orwell’s life, he was involved with the BBC, and reports that the ‘truth’ he was broadcasting there was altered from its original form. In 1984, Winston works in the Ministry of Truth, altering facts to coincide with BB’s ‘truth.’

In 1984, Winston, on many occasions, talks of the proles with a sense of admiration about him. One particular prole that he seemed attached to was the big lady with the ‘brick red forearms.’ He would stand by the window in his hideout, listening to her sing in a very bad voice, but loving the way she sang nonetheless. When Orwell talks about how he was poor and lived among the homeless like himself, he notes that they are eccentric but free people.

The layout and plot of 1984 is a collection of Orwell’s most critical life experiences and beliefs. The government he has created in 1984 is a representation of all the terrible and powerful leaders he has seen in his lifetime. Like a scientist, Winston’s theory that totalitarianism will one day rule over everyone is not accepted by everyone. Some people think he is completely insane, and some think that he is absolutely right. Either way, he has written these amazing books and will continue to disgust and inspire people for a long time. Orwell has planted a deep seed that will continue to grow so long as even one person agrees with him. Eventually, more seeds planted by people inspired by Orwell’s work will grow, and Orwell will be at the center of it all, the ‘father’ of anti-totalitarianism.