1984: Dark but Intriguing

For the past few weeks I have been enveloped by the fascinating dystopia that is portrayed in the bokk 1984 by George Orwell. WHile this is the farthest thing from a feel-good read, the messages that Orwell is intending to get across are ones that leave me with some complicated questions. While reading I came across one line that caught my attention instantly and seemed to be the thesis of the entire book. It said, "If both the past and the external world exist only in the mind, and if the mind itself is controllable-what then?" (Orwell, 80). This statement made me realize the power that people can have over one another and it was disturbing to me that something that seems as concrete as the past, is whatever we make it to be. The past only exists through memories and written records, and both of these things are under the control of people who can be controlled. I think Orwell makes a dark but fascinating realization with this. I only hope that the situation in 1984 is one that will stay in literary fiction because our past is what sets a stage for our future. I know I will now cherish the past in a different light.