George Orwell's vision of a dystopian world is most disturbing not because of its absurdity but because of the parallels it draws with our own society. By creating a world which features many 'uncanny' features the reader is forced to confront and tackle with themes Orwell explores since they are so relevant within the mind of the modern reader, in this way the disturbance Orwell creates transcends literature and actually enters the real and relevant world of the reader.
Orwell's creates a disturbing vision with the employment of the uncanny via a pivotal theme, Winston's working life. Winston's job involves editing old news articles to fit the propaganda that Big Brother creates, in contemporary terms Winston creates 'fake-news'. In 2018 'fake-news' was voted the phrase of the year and therefore this increases the relevance of Orwell's exploration of this theme. in this way his vision is made more disturbing since the reader is made to confront the theme not just from a literary perspective but also from a real-life perspective; there is no doubt that real-life event has a greater ability to incite fear and create a disturbing feeling than fictional creations. This is far more disturbing than a more absurd form of disturbing dystopia in literature, for example, Naomi Alderman's 'The Power' which revolves around the premise that all women have gained a 'magical' ability.
10432 Views
See similar English Literature GCSE tutors