I picked up 1984 by George Orwell and began to read it. The story is set in fictionalised Oceania, which is under a totalitarian regime in which the party’s leader, Big Brother, monitors people’s every movement and even scrutinises their thoughts. He has installed telescreens at every place to watch over the masses. The regime is operated by the Ministry of Love, which maintains law and order, the Ministry of Peace that concerns itself with war, the Ministry of Plenty which is about maintaining economic affairs, and the Ministry of Truth which is responsible for news. These ministries keep eyes on everything.
There are some totalitarian principles set by the party’s leader which are to be followed by the masses of Oceania. People have been strongly indoctrinated and brainwashed. They have been made to believe that war is going on, when in actuality there is no war. There are several things that people believe in, but they do not exist. Winston Smith, the main character, who works in the Ministry of Truth, plans surreptitiously for rebellion against the party.
Big Brother has designed a special language for his people called Newspeak. With a new edition released yearly, words are removed from it so as to limit the range of thoughts, which, as a result, reduces ‘Thought Crime’. Winston comes across a girl who is often staring at him. He becomes suspicious of her, believing that she might be aware of what he does and the party has set her onto him. There is another guy, muscular and strong, who Winston believes is on his side. One day while the girl was passing by him, she stumbles. When Winston assists her, she furtively drops a note in his hands and continues to walk, without being noticed by Telescreen. “I Love You” is scribbled in that note. Winston grows curious and wishes to meet her. They arrange a meeting deep in the woods, away from the eyes of Big Brother. They share their thoughts about the current totalitarian regime. Both of them express rancour and hatred against the party’s rule. They also express their feelings for each other and make love. When they walk away, they take separate paths so as to evade being noticed. They keep this love affair hushed, since it is strictly forbidden to keep relationship with party members and is certain to get them killed and brutally tortured if caught.
They rent a room above Mr Charrington’s shop where Winston earlier bought a diary in which he scribbles rebellious ideas against the party. Winston also carried a book into the room which was handed over to him by O’Brien, whom he believes to be on his side. He starts to read the book while going about his daily life. He feels excited to know that whatever he has set himself against exists and it is not some reverie fantasised in his mind. Once he was in the room with the girl, both naked and looking out of the window, when a voice screamed, “Stay where you are, with arms behind your back”. The door flings open and men in uniform led by Mr Charrington, who himself is a member of Thought Police, enter. Winston and the girl are knocked unconscious and carried into separate buildings. Winston is brought to the Ministry of Love where he is interrogated and brutally tortured. It is O’Brien who is behind all this, who has kept eye on Winston ever since he rose against the party and its principles. Winston is tortured to extract confession. After he undergoes severe torture, he is reshaped and re-educated; he even betrays the girl. Totally brainwashed and indoctrinated now, he again comes across the girl but shows least interest in her. She does the same. They have been utterly reshaped and remade. Now both love the party and Big Brother.

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Zahoor Farooq