Post: #26

It's a great book. More than the commentary on how a government can come to control the thoughts of its citizens though, I found particularly interesting the commentary on how an individual exercise control over the thoughts in their head. Reality is inside.

Post: #27

I never figured out whether Winston dies in the end. Does he?

Post: #28

(06-11-2017 04:38 AM)Stanfield Wrote:  I never figured out whether Winston dies in the end. Does he?

If he doesn't die physically, he's certainly died spiritually.

This is why I find the unhappy ending device so powerful in general, and especially in Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm in particular. It really drives home the crushing sense of despair and permanence of the regimes and situations described therein. There's no hope to be found, because there are no more pages to read. And you don't have anywhere to go for a happy ending or any relief at all.