1984

"That the choice for mankind lay between freedom and happiness, and that, for the great bulk of mankind, happiness was better."

With a choice to make between expressing my thoughts and having my thoughtscontrolled here I am, with my very first blog, ignoring BIG BROTHER.

Having tried my hand at reading the book 5 or 6 years back and failing to go beyond the three slogans of the party, this time round, with ages of time and insanity to kill, Ive achieved what lead character Winston did, love the Big Brother.

With a robotic life set for him by the party in Ocenica, Winstons instinctive need to break free is what appeals in this life of wanting to do something different yet following the routine. Optimistic of not being alone in the quest there is an intrinsic fear of being the lone lunatic, but he finds quite naturally, Julia, love of his life as the partner in crime. But before they could break the party down, they had to let souls free of the torcher brought about by not having had sex in a very long time. And hence, you have a series of rendezvous for love making behind the bushes etc etc , where you have no telescreen(Even if they had done it, the guy on the other side wouldn't have been too impressed :) ).

But now comes the interesting part, when they are caught making love. Its not the act which is illegal or immoral, its the thought which warrants their arrest and are taken to one of the four pillars i.e. Ministry of Truth. O'briens explanation of the world as they rule it and the reasons for the same would leave Smiths (of the Matrix fame) monologue on humans as kiddish.Ridiculing the past forms of governance, he sets about ensuring that dead men don't become martyrs as was a mistake made by the previous totalitarians. The book starts to haunt as O'brien methodically works on Winston to break his will, his desire and control his thoughts. Even before Winston its the reader who is curious to know about Room no. 101. Its here that the books succeeds in controlling you, as you doublethink , on your own life.

Its 2+2=5 for the book.