1984 Section 1

Winston Smith lives in London.  Not the London we know today, nor the London that existed in 1984.  A London ruled by a totalitarian government that has complete control over the lives of everyone of its citizens.  There is no privacy. There is no place where the governments cameras and microphones cannot spy on you.  Big Brother is always watching you. The novel begins with Winston returning home from a day at work as a low-level government official.  He sits down writes in a diary, which is completely illegal and punishable by death. He writes about his life but he also writes about his hatred for Big Brother and his longing for clarity, understanding and a better life.  In this first section, there are only two other characters of significance. Julia, an attractive young woman that Winston hates because he knows he cannot be  with her and because she seems like the type that would report him to the Thought Police.  The other is O’Brien, a high ranking inner party official that Winston seems to like because he seems smart and feels that he is the type that could be a rebel.  Orwell wrote this book in 1948 which is interesting because it draws from the ideas of the Nazis and Soviets. He has created a world where one of these parties succeeds in gaining complete control of their population.