Banned Book of the Month: 1984
Book cover image from Penguin Random House.
Emersen Cwiklinski
About the Author: George Orwell—the pen name for Eric Blair—is the author of 1984. Orwell served with the Indian Imperial Police in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma). After serving, he decided to return to Europe to spend his time writing. He had lived in France, England, and Scotland during his writing career, and he wrote 1984 while living in Scotland. He had felt very strongly about politics, and was strongly opposed to totalitarianism and communism, which is what sparked the idea to write 1984. George Orwell is well known for writing not only 1984, but also Animal Farm, which is another banned book. Orwell’s books are recognized for their political and satirical themes which mock communist and totalitarian viewpoints. Orwell died very shortly after writing 1984, and his writing left lasting impacts on readers all over.
Summary: 1984 follows the life of Winston Smith, a middle aged man who lives in a totalitarian society called Oceania. In 1984, Oceania is a political powerhouse that is at war with two other countries, Eastasia and Eurasia. Due to the war between the three countries, it is very easy to control people in Oceania, and that is exactly what the government does. The leader of Oceania, Big Brother, is omniscient and all-powerful, and controls everything the citizens of Oceania say, do, and think. Big Brother is always watching.
Winston feels opposed to the views of Big Brother and starts to act out in opposition. Reading and writing is abolished in Oceania, so Winston starts writing in a journal about everything he disagrees with about the government. Winston eventually meets a girl named Julia, who also is against the rules imposed by Big Brother. They fall in love and start acting on their love, which is another act that is prohibited by Big Brother. These little acts of rebellion give Winston a sense of power and strength, and he begins to publicly slip up on his behaviors, making him a threat to Big Brother.
Winston then meets another character, named O’Brien, who seems to be an ally to Winston. O’Brien tells Winston that he is gathering rebels to go against Big Brother, and destroy the government from within. O’Brien offers resources to Winston to help him fight against the government, one of which is a journaled manifesto written by a former rebel named Goldstein. The journal includes what creates a totalitarian government, how to invoke fear in citizens to maintain control, and how citizens should fight back against the control. However, once Winston starts getting resources that amplify his rebellion, he and Julia get caught by Big Brother for committing crimes against the government. They are taken away from each other and Winston is placed in a holding cell where he is forced to conform to Big Brother. Winston is tortured mentally and physically to scare him back into conformity. Who turned Winston in, and will he conform to Big Brother?
Why it’s banned: 1984 is banned due to its satirical nature towards politics and leaders of government. 1984 can be deemed as almost predictive and philosophical, making many schools wary of allowing it in libraries. Along with the political nature of the book being frowned upon, 1984 has also been banned for some of the sexual nature of the relationship between Julia and Winston. Many schools find the scenes to be too risque for allowing in schools. 1984 depicts the censorship of literature and film found in Oceania, and how it has created a downfall of the book’s society, which is what makes it so ironic that 1984 is being censored.
If looking for where to get a copy of 1984, Hamilton High School, Pauline Haass Public Library, as well as Menomonee Falls Public Library offer copies.
