Essay On 1984 By George Orwell

Throughout history, there has been an array of different stories written. Some of those stories are about adventure, romance, and some even about one’s own life. Authors write what they know so it makes sense that they would write about their own experiences. A good number people share similar struggles which makes it easier for an author to share their experiences and for readers to relate. That is the case in 1984, written by George Orwell, because there are many similarities and differences between Orwell’s life and the content found in the story which help make it somewhat autobiographical. In 1984, the main protagonist, Winston Smith, lives in an oppressive totalitarian society that micromanages every single aspect of the people’s lives.

Similar to 1984, Winston’s “father [disappears]” and “[his mother does] everything [that they] need” to live a good life (Orwell 154). Many people go through life without a parental figure so mentioning it in the story helps bring a relatable feeling to some readers. In 1984, Winston is “a member of the Outer Party,” which is similar to the middle class in real life (Orwell 33). For example, the Outer Party get more privileges than the proles (the low class) and less privileges than the Inner Party. George Orwell lives in connection with what he” [calls] the lower-middle class” when growing up (Woodcock). Both Winston and Orwell live among a middle-class range of people. This, once again, helps the story maintain relatability because the Outer Party is similar to its real-life connection. George Orwell originally starts in India, but “his mother [takes] him and his older sister to England about a year after his birth” (“George Orwell Biography”). England in 1984 is called Oceania and Winston lives in “London, [which is the] chief city of Airstrip One, the third most populous of the provinces of Oceania (Orwell 7). The inclusion of Orwell’s personal home creates an aspect of reality in this fictional book by helping to relay the message Orwell is trying to spread, including some of the story of his own personal life. In the story, Winston decides to politically rebel against the Party after realizing that they are

Winston and Orwell both have marriages at some point in their lives. Winston thinks” of Katharine, his wife,” who has separated from him but they are still married (Orwell 64). Their marriage, being unsuccessful, is essentially terminated so it is not mentioned much at all throughout the course of the story. Orwell “[meets] and marries his first wife, Eileen O’Shaughnessy” in 1936 (Taylor). However similar to 1984, the marriage ends but in a different way because Eileen dies in 1945, five years before Orwell’s death. Orwell, late in his life is “officially [receives the diagnosis for] tuberculosis in 1938” (Taylor). Winston also struggles with symptoms similar to tuberculosis through the course of the story. Similarly, when Winston wakes up, “he [awakens] by a violent coughing fit which nearly always [attacks] him soon after waking up” (Orwell 33). Once again, Orwell uses his own experience to help develop the main character of this story, further validating the story of his own life through the character of Winston. Lastly, Orwell and Winston both work for some sort of news agency at some point in their lives. Orwell “[becomes] a literary editor of the Tribune, a left-wing socialist paper [that is] associated with the British” after leaving the BBC in 1943 (Woodcock). Winston, on the other hand, works at the “Records Department…whose primary job [is] not to reconstruct the past but to supply the citizens of Oceania with