Essay --

Over the years, much has been written about the two novels, both positive and negative. For example, Ben Clarke of the University of North Carolina has written extensively about Orwell, and asserts that although mainly acclaimed for his non-fiction works, Orwell’s fiction writing had significant value, and was generally under-rated (Clarke). Orwell’s only novel to receive critical acclaim was Nineteen Eighty-four. Even this novel, when studied, is considered for its historical significance rather than its literary contribution (Clarke). Clarke also suggests that Orwell’s female characters reflect Orwell’s views of masculinity and femininity. Though he recognizes the limited choices that women had in society, he shows showed little originality in their portrayal (Clarke). Certainly Julia, in Nineteen Eighty-Four is portrayed as a woman engaging in sexual relationships with Party members more out of boredom than from any real disagreement with the poli tics of the Party. She depicted as being accepting of the status quo, and follows Winston’s lead in his rebellious activities. This is similar to the way that women in Orwell’s time period were viewed, as passive but supportive components in society. The restrictive bounds on society trigger rebellion by the major characters in both novels. By restricting the knowledge and information available, the governments in both novels maintain tight control on their citizens. In Nineteen Eighty-four, the public is manipulated by propaganda to believe what the Party wants it to believe. There are laws against even thinking of anything that creates individuality or harms the Party in any way, labelled by Orwell as â€Å"thoughtcrime†. â€Å"Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concea... ..., Winston’s search for the truth drives him to rebel in small ways initially. Driven to create something that will not be re-written at the whim of the Party, he writes in an illicitly obtained diary to a nameless future reader from â€Å"a time when truth exists and what is done cannot be undone† (Orwell 28). His next step on the path to rebellion is to begin a forbidden sexual relationship with a woman he works with. He has longed for a relationship where he is free to love without the purpose of procreation. Even more important to him, however, is that his actions undermine the Party. When Julia, his girlfriend, tells him that he has done this "Hundreds of times -well, scores of times†, Winston is not upset; instead, he is thrilled because that means there were many others who are â€Å"corrupt to the bones† and were also rebelling against the Party (Orwell 112). Essay -- Over the years, much has been written about the two novels, both positive and negative. For example, Ben Clarke of the University of North Carolina has written extensively about Orwell, and asserts that although mainly acclaimed for his non-fiction works, Orwell’s fiction writing had significant value, and was generally under-rated (Clarke). Orwell’s only novel to receive critical acclaim was Nineteen Eighty-four. Even this novel, when studied, is considered for its historical significance rather than its literary contribution (Clarke). Clarke also suggests that Orwell’s female characters reflect Orwell’s views of masculinity and femininity. Though he recognizes the limited choices that women had in society, he shows showed little originality in their portrayal (Clarke). Certainly Julia, in Nineteen Eighty-Four is portrayed as a woman engaging in sexual relationships with Party members more out of boredom than from any real disagreement with the poli tics of the Party. She depicted as being accepting of the status quo, and follows Winston’s lead in his rebellious activities. This is similar to the way that women in Orwell’s time period were viewed, as passive but supportive components in society. The restrictive bounds on society trigger rebellion by the major characters in both novels. By restricting the knowledge and information available, the governments in both novels maintain tight control on their citizens. In Nineteen Eighty-four, the public is manipulated by propaganda to believe what the Party wants it to believe. There are laws against even thinking of anything that creates individuality or harms the Party in any way, labelled by Orwell as â€Å"thoughtcrime†. â€Å"Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concea... ..., Winston’s search for the truth drives him to rebel in small ways initially. Driven to create something that will not be re-written at the whim of the Party, he writes in an illicitly obtained diary to a nameless future reader from â€Å"a time when truth exists and what is done cannot be undone† (Orwell 28). His next step on the path to rebellion is to begin a forbidden sexual relationship with a woman he works with. He has longed for a relationship where he is free to love without the purpose of procreation. Even more important to him, however, is that his actions undermine the Party. When Julia, his girlfriend, tells him that he has done this "Hundreds of times -well, scores of times†, Winston is not upset; instead, he is thrilled because that means there were many others who are â€Å"corrupt to the bones† and were also rebelling against the Party (Orwell 112).