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    Summary and Analysis of 1984: Based on the Book by George Orwell
    Summary and Analysis of 1984: Based on the Book by George Orwell
    Summary and Analysis of 1984: Based on the Book by George Orwell
    Ebook54 pages42 minutes

    Summary and Analysis of 1984: Based on the Book by George Orwell

    By Worth Books

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    About this ebook

    So much to read, so little time? This brief overview of 1984 tells you what you need to know—before or after you read George Orwell’s book.
     
    Crafted and edited with care, Worth Books set the standard for quality and give you the tools you need to be a well-informed reader.
     
    This short summary and analysis of 1984 includes:
    • Historical context
    • Chapter-by-chapter overviews
    • Character analysis
    • Important quotes
    • Fascinating trivia
    • Glossary of terms
    • Supporting material to enhance your understanding of the original work
     
    About 1984 by George Orwell:
     
    George Orwell’s classic novel 1984 is a cautionary tale about a dystopian society under the crushing and watchful eye of a tyrannical regime led by Big Brother. The dark story revolves around Winston Smith, an everyman who is tired of the government’s lies and relentless persecution of people who dare think for themselves. He manages to find the strength to stand up to a totalitarian system and, in the process, finds love and affection in a world where both have been deemed obsolete.
     
    Originally published in 1949, Orwell’s 1984 is a masterpiece of modern fiction and one of the most enduring and influential books of the twentieth century.
     
    The summary and analysis in this ebook are intended to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of fiction.
     
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateMar 7, 2017
    ISBN9781504044981
    Summary and Analysis of 1984: Based on the Book by George Orwell
    Author

    Worth Books

    Worth Books’ smart summaries get straight to the point and provide essential tools to help you be an informed reader in a busy world, whether you’re browsing for new discoveries, managing your to-read list for work or school, or simply deepening your knowledge. Available for fiction and nonfiction titles, these are the book summaries that are worth your time.  

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      Book preview

      Summary and Analysis of 1984 - Worth Books

      Contents

      Context

      Overview

      Cast of Characters

      Summary

      Character Analysis

      Themes and Symbols

      Direct Quotes and Analysis

      Trivia

      What’s That Word?

      Critical Response

      About George Orwell

      For Your Information

      Bibliography

      Copyright

      Context

      Written in the aftermath of World War II, and first published in 1949, George Orwell’s 1984 is dystopian novel warning of the dangers of life under a totalitarian government. The story is set in Airstrip One of Oceania—formerly London, England—after the Revolution.

      Twelve years before the book’s publication, Orwell worked as a BBC correspondent in Spain during Generalíssimo Francisco Franco’s fascist regime. He and his wife took up arms alongside POUM (Partit Obrer d’Unificació Marxista), the Workers’ Party of Marxist Unification. Orwell became disenchanted with journalism and the media, claiming they were a propaganda machine to disseminate lies to the masses, which would be a common theme running through his novels.

      By the time of 1984’s release, Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany had been defeated, but the Communist Party was gaining traction in China, and iron curtains were cropping up around Josef Stalian’s Soviet Union. Given the political climate and the increasing oppression of individual civil liberties, Orwell’s story of Big Brother, protectionism, and institutional mind-control was particularly insightful and perhaps prescient.

      According to the New York Times, there was a 9,500% increase in sales of the book over the course of five days in January 2017, most likely as the result of White House spokesperson Kellyanne Conway’s use of the term alternative facts in an interview. The term struck many readers as being reminiscent of the Newspeak from 1984.

      Overview

      Winston Smith is a sluggish, middle-aged man, a worn-out cog in the totalitarian machine called Oceania, which is one of three super-states remaining after the Revolution. Disillusioned about the ruling Inner Party, Winston is a low-ranking Outer Party member who works for the Ministry of Truth rewriting history. In April 1984, Winston begins a diary—an act, if discovered by the Thought Police, punishable by death. Wherever Winston goes, telescreens monitor his words, expressions, and movements. Gigantic posters of the post-Revolutionary leader are plastered all around the city with a caption that reads: BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU.

      One day, during the Two Minutes Hate, an indoctrination session that stirs antipathy for a man named Emmanuel Goldstein who is considered an enemy of the State, Winston sees a pretty young comrade. He suspects she may be an agent for the Thought Police. Meanwhile, Winston hopes that a high-ranking Party official named O’Brien may be a member of an underground opposition movement called the Brotherhood.

      A forbidden love affair soon develops between Winston and the young woman, whose name is Julia. For a while Winston’s life seems tolerable. The couple secretly rents a room above a junk shop as their love nest. They decide to trust O’Brien and they finally get a chance to meet him.

      Unfortunately, O’Brien turns out to be a Party government agent who set them up. Winston and Julia are arrested and incarcerated separately.

      Physically tortured and reprogrammed through

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