1984 Literary Criticism

Many a literary critic claims that the strongest aspect of the book 1984 by George Orwell is its plot. Indeed, there is some merit in this conclusion, as the entire purpose of Orwell’s writing of this book was not to create a literary classic, but to warn the public about the dangers of communism if it got out of hand, and what better way to do this than to write an engaging plot? Others may claim that 1984’s greatest strength is in its character development. This aspect, too, is quite strong in the book, as not only are the minor characters effected in serving the dystopian theme, but the major characters are believable and very human in their failings. Winston’s transformation from an oppressed office worker to revolutionary and finally to

Perhaps the most obvious use of audio throughout the trailer was the background music. The song used thought the trailer is Luciano Pavarotti’s Caruso, which tells the tale of a dying man looking into the eyes of a woman dear to him for the last time. The main reason this piece was chosen was its powerful nature as an opera piece. In the book, a prole woman was shown to be singing of her own free will, which Winston associated with the freedom of mankind. Because the prole woman was described as quite large and powerful, the logical conclusion was to use a powerful piece such as Caruso in order to clearly show this point Outside the background music, however, sound effects were also used throughout 1984 in conjunction with the video scenes in order to enhance the atmosphere that was created by the visual effects and content of the trailer. One sound effect that had a big impact on the trailer is the sound of neighbors arguing in the beginning of the trailer. In the book, Winston’s neighbors, the Parsons, were shown to be a less-than-harmonious family, and while they never showed any active tension, the arguing is used to amplify the feeling of social tension in 1984. This social tension also added to the dystopian feeling of the trailer, which connected it to the genre of the book, which is dystopian. Finally, an important sound effect that was used throughout the book was the sound that accompanied the telescreen. While the origin of the sound changes each time the scene was shown, the chaotic, loud characteristic remained. These sound effects were used to show how the Party kept its influence on its citizens throughout their lives. Because the telescreen was so loud and impossible to shut off, the citizens were reminded of the everlasting presence of the