Literay Canon-1984

The literary canon lens is the ideal lens to view 1984 through because it forces the reader to look for the themes that made the book to be considered literary canon as well as analyzing the importance of these themes. Often times, when 1984 is brought up, the first thing to come to mind for many people is the seemingly omnipotent Big Brother and his emotionless herd of followers, and Big Brother’s power of surveillance and persecution. Big Brother’s impact on society and popular culture can be seen in Apple’s famous “1984” commercial. The commercial serves as a record of Big Brother, who is actually representative of totalitarianism. It is apparent that 1984 is most widely recognized for its theme of totalitarianism. It is most likely that its speak of totalitarianism is why it is considered important and thus considered to be literary canon. Once the major theme is recognized it is up to the reader to attempt to understand the significance of the theme in order to understand why 1984 is considered to be literary canon. In 1984, a totalitarian government is in power headed by Big Brother. Its rule can be described as “a boot stamping on a human face”, meaning it creates a world of misery and pessimism. It restricts all the freedoms of its citizens save for the “proles” and watches its subjects constantly for any unorthodoxy or signs of discontent with the government. It creates a world where love is hated and ignorance is loved. 1984 tells the reader that these are the effects of totalitarianism and portrays a totalitarian regime in a negative light. 1984 does this through the thoughts of its protagonist, Winston, who describes living in a totalitarian world is an unnatural feeling as evident by the mute protest in your bones. 1984 also describes the food as having an “evil” taste to it and describing the setting as generally being grimy and disgusting. 1984 warns the reader of the perils of totalitarianism which is ultimately the message of 1984 and its author George Orwell. Through the literary lens, readers may focus in on the major theme of 1984 by understanding its impact on society and then understanding the significance of this theme to better understand the author’s intent, which is a crucial part of appreciating any book.