Banned Book Week- 1984 by George Orwell

Being someone very interested in political science, I have often heard people speak of 1984, but I had never actually read it myself.  I had read other dystopian stories such as V for Vendetta, but never got around to 1984.  When I saw this George Orwell's classic was on the banned book list, I figured it was finally time to give the book a chance. It was an incredible experience, and it has even inspired me to start reading others on the list such as Catch-22 and Slaughterhouse-Five.

I was actually surprised to see the book on the banned books list, because it used to be my understanding that the book was made as a propaganda tool against the communist nations of the period. I just figured that in the period the book was made, any sort of propaganda against communism was encouraged to be read by all.  While the book is very critical of totalitarian governments, after reading the book I can understand why it was banned.  The book is filled with a great deal of sex and violence. The main character, Winston, spends a majority of the middle part of the book either having sex with this love interest, or speaking of lying next to her naked body. Indeed, not only are the sex scenes often, but they are portrayed in a very immoral manner.  Winston and his love interest, Julia, meet in secret and out of wedlock.  His love for Julia is not based on her purity, but yet upon her promiscuity. Julia is idolized by Winston for her carefree attitude towards sex, and even tells her at one point that her impure nature is what fuels his love for her. I can see how this would make the book a contentious issue for public and school libraries.


After Winston and Julia are imprisoned by their totalitarian government, the rest of the book focuses on Winston's "reeducation", or more simply put, torture.  Orwell explains in great detail mass amounts of physical and psychological torture that Winston endures.  Orwell even lets us inside Winston's mind to reveal his thoughts of wishing to commit suicide or for his certain execution. Just as the sexual content of the book could be a of questionable nature for child to read, the violence of the book also could create grounds to ban the book from public and school libraries.


I was wrong as well that the book is only a critique upon the communist countries of the day.  Winston questions whether or not he or others were better of before or after "Big Brother", the rule of the totalitarian government, took power. Winston never clearly states that capitalism was better, and even makes a veiled criticisms of capitalism when he speaks of the selfishness of his capitalist youth.  Winston also constantly states that the key to destroying the totalitarian government that he despises, lies with the "proles" or proletarian class.  The idea that he proletarians need to rise up and and destroy the ruling class is an idea central to the communist ideology.  Orwell does not necessarily portray communism as wrong, he instead portrays the the human desire to attain power as wrong.  The idea of "power as an ends" is one that can be attributed both to the totalitarian communist government run by Stalin, as well as to leaders in a capitalism society fighting for profit at all costs.  This book is a warning to all that it is human nature to desire power, and we as a society must be vigilant against a person or a small group of people being able to have the power to completely control the lives of others. Whether it be by greedy capitalist or totalitarian leaders.


While I can see why the book may not be appropriate for children, I still think this is an incredibly important book.  One major theme of the book is that whoever controls the present also controls the past. The LIS profession is paramount in documenting the past in an unbiased fashion, so that previous lessons learned can be applied to help improve the future.  In 1984 the past is continually changed not to improve the future, but to justify a present that will ensure the future of the ruling class. This book makes the importance of the LIS profession much better understood, when one sees how history could be manipulated to justify an oppressive government. Not only does the book portray the LIS profession as important, but it is an important tool in making our youth aware of history, as well as the present. Information is power, and one must use it to get ahead, but one must also be able to rely that it is in its truest form. It is important to have an informed public to make a society great, and it is also important to instill an inquisitiveness in them as well. We need to be the watchdogs of history, to make sure it cannot be changed to suit the needs of those in power.

I believe the book is also of utmost importance because of the narrative it tells of a person living under an oppressive government.  When I used to teach, my students would have a hard time understanding why people in the Soviet Union or North Korea, would not just overthrow their government and install a more desirable government. 1984 shows the great difficulty of overthrowing a power structure that has complete control over information and truth. 1984 shows the difficulty of overthrowing a power structure when the people are employed against one another. The human instinct to survive is so great that often people will endure great hardships simply to exist. For existing in an unfulfilled life is still life, compared to a death that awaits one who tries to resist an oppressive government. It is only until you understand the situation that a person in a oppressive system exists, that you can truly understand how and why that system exists. It is important to understand the tactics, the culture, and goals of such a society, to be able to combat them in the future.

While I can see that 1984 is a book that may be inappropriate for a young child, I do not think that this is a book we should stop our youth from reading. If a person is of an age to understand the humanistic and political themes within the book, then I believe that person would also be mature enough to handle the adult themes of the book as well. I think 1984 would be a great book for high school Juniors and Seniors to read, along with a history class that covers WWII, the Cold War, and the current War on Terror.  1984 may have been banned in the past for its criticisms that could be applied to capitalism as well, but I think to ban it now only makes the United States seems as moving closer to the antagonist Big Brother government of the book. If the government is afraid of being critiqued, then it is not trying to improve. If the government is not trying to improve, than it is simply trying to hold on to the power it currently has. This was the exact line of thinking that led to formation of Big Brother, and as evidenced by 1984, it is a government most would find undesirable to live under.