Pynchons Preface to 1984

I agree with Pynchon's idea that Orwell is trying to criticize socialism and that he is annoyed and rejecting it. I believe this is quite obvious throughout the novel since each character and situation is really part of a well hidden symbolism. The fact that people are conditioned into believing one thing or another and that the government is able to control and manipulate its people so well will make the reader think. It will lead the reader to question his life and to compare it to the society he is reading about in 1984. One thing that has a very obvious connection is the way in which the ministries are actually the opposite of their names. "Doublethink also lies behind the names of the superministries which run things in Oceania—the Ministry of Peace wages war, the Ministry of Truth tells lies, the Ministry of Love tortures and eventually kills anybody whom it deems a threat." This shows how the world can be very ironic sometimes and that even now we find ourselves thinking that the government is honest with us when this is a very naive thought. It makes us realize that even our current government is tricking us and lying to us, that what they tell us is not based for our good but on the success of their power, that yes they have to keep people happy, but only because this is a side effect of what they need to accomplishing their position and power. Just like in the book, there are revolutionaries today, and just like in the book, the government does all it can to get rid of them. There are cases when they reach the same drastic consequences and there are other cases in which they are less or even more drastic.

However, referring back to the maxim, I find it interesting Pynchon commented on this topic because it is something that many authors write about: the hypocrisy of our country and our society. One topic I was surprised he didn't comment on was the relationship between parents and their kids, the fact that they would turn them in for the crime of thinking. I guess that this is a topic that refers to the lost bond between many generations nowadays in their families. Kids and parents don't share as much bonds and the communication they have is more and more restricted. It also shows how the government is very successful with their brain washing and how important it is to start conditioning kids as they are young. This way their passion is much more honest and the effects will be much better for the government.

Pynchon also discussed the fact that Orwell left his "The Principles of Newspeak" part and I think that is great, it was his work and if he wants it that way then there is no reason why he should change it to make some producers happy. I also think he might have gone deeper on some topics. However, I must contradict myself because I think his essay was of a well managed length and that he covered the most important parts with success and giving his opinion and critique.