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INTHEMIDSTOFLIONS OP t1_it7wvqk wrote

Reply to comment by ImJoshsome in Does 1984 ever dive into how the Party took control over Oceania? [no direct spoilers please] by INTHEMIDSTOFLIONS

Well, considering I’m interested in the rise of fascism in Oceania, it does to me, friend.

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ImJoshsome t1_it7xu06 wrote

you’re going to be disappointed then because that’s not what the book is about

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INTHEMIDSTOFLIONS OP t1_it7yl9u wrote

Thanks! I appreciate the feedback.

Tbh, I may not be emotionally able to finish the book at this time. I get really heavy political anxiety especially around midterms, and I was so stressed reading the book last night I had to take 0.25mg of my Xanax prescription.

I don’t want to just stick my head in the sand with emotionally difficult material, but man this sounds like such a stressful environment to live in (Oceania).

I have had to quit books due to being too dark in the past (a game of thrones, and American psycho for example). I think understanding how things came to be helps me cope better with understanding why things are the way they are, as opposed to just being in the dark the whole book.

That’s why comments like “it doesn’t matter, read the book” aren’t necessarily helpful, bc I don’t know if I want to finish the book if it’s going to be too much. If that makes sense.

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Scarsquid t1_it7zmiy wrote

While your question is never answered, you should probably stop reading now. The book gets very bleak and hopeless in a way that is terrifyingly real.

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INTHEMIDSTOFLIONS OP t1_it7zths wrote

Thank you

Not looking for another “the road” experience. That book fucked me up for weeks.

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suicidal_warboi t1_itc0yym wrote

I’m not trying to be offensive, but maybe it would be wise to temper the extent to which you allow your emotions to decide whether you finish a book or not.

It’s hang ups like this that allow the totalitarian-for-profit to achieve further control. People are too sensitive and can’t withstand discomfort even when the discomfort is caused by something as harmless as a fictional dystopian novel.

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sosodank t1_it85qxs wrote

the best thing you could do, then, is read some history. everything has happened before, and everything will happen again.

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makingnoise t1_it8y4zc wrote

I think this statement fails to capture for some folks the importance of history. Knowing what happened in the past is one thing, understanding why things happened in the past is another thing. People with a failure of imagination know that fascism rose to power in WWII, but see no modern parallels because they never realized the purpose of learning history was to relate the past to the present.

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jaydub1001 t1_it856z3 wrote

It's not fascism but a different form of authoritarianism.

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iwillmuffyou t1_it7xc0p wrote

No, it actually doesn't matter at all. Just finish the book first, then ask questions.

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Cat_Hoarder0 t1_it7yvci wrote

> No, it actually doesn't matter at all.

You don't get to tell people what is and isn't important to them.

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Dropcity t1_it89np6 wrote

It actually doesnt at all matter as a theme of the book. Orwell makes a point to demonstrate the facts don't matter at all, reality is whatever the party says it is. I think people that have said it doesnt matter are attempting to make a point without spoilers. It can be as important as you want to make it, it is still thematically irrlevant and that isnt an accident or oversight.

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Cat_Hoarder0 t1_it89s23 wrote

> t actually doesnt at all matter as a theme of the book

Which is completely irrelevant to what the OP asked.

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Dropcity t1_it8dy4s wrote

Not at all. He wants answers to questions that are both unanswered and irrelevant. So youre going to have to explain to me how it isn't irrelevant. You stated it but i am going to need you to qualify that statement..

if he finished the book he would know this.. historical ignorance is thematic in the book, explaining that any further is a potential spoiler, knowing the history blows apart the themes of the book. Orwell makes a point of making this both ambiguous and irrelevant.

If he wouldve asked "is big brother real? Do they ever go into detail about how he rose to power".. you would find similar answers for the same reasons. "Don't know and it's irrelevant and explaining that any further could potentially spoil the book for you so just read it". If Orwell were to give answers to these questions it would ruin aspects of the story completely.

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Cat_Hoarder0 t1_it8ezxv wrote

> Not at all. He wants answers to questions that are both unanswered and irrelevant.

All he wanted to know was if the history was explored. Nothing more, nothing less. He wasn't asking about what is thematic in the book or not.

Get this. Some people are interested in the world building aspects of books, and want to know more about that part of the world.

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