Week 2 | Book Chatter

1984
By George Orwell
Written in 1948

This week we discuss Part 2!

Schedule (optional)

It’s in three parts, and I SWORE I would not make a schedule but some readers like to have a little structure so here is a brief, brief plan.

~~Read Part 1 by 12/13~~
~~Read Part 2 by 12/20~~
Read Part 3, finish by 12/31

Here are some questions to ponder for Part 2:

How easy do you think it is to brainwash people after reading 1984?

Uh, extremely easy. I feel like it’s happening now. In the book, the citizens are stripped bare, sometimes literally. They exist on the bare minimum of food, labor day in and day out. Breaking them down this way makes them easier to control.

In today’s society, many are in a compromised position financially so promises of riches and a better life naturally appeal to this segment of the population. The potential to make life better, all around, appeals to many but the reality of it is that it can’t be done with loose promises and no action to back it up. Also, the introduction of fear. “They” are coming for you. Promises of protection are welcomed once fear has been introduced.

Explore the symbolic significance of the clock, the paperweight, the song the prole woman sings, and the nursery rhyme about the bell.

The clock strikes 13, which is 1pm. This is Orwell’s way of letting us know right away that time is handled differently and that mostly, clocks are tied to the BEFORE but this clock is different. It’s presence reminds us, and Winston that time is now different.

The paperweight. I could see that paperweight in my mind. The translucent quality, the beauty of the coral inside. To me, it represents a moment in time, from the past. The build-up of its delicate nature hints at something darker lurking around the corner.

The song and the nursery rhyme. The woman, hanging out her wash while singing provides a false sense of normalcy. As her voice drifts through Winston’s window, all seems to be well and good. The nursery rhyme is rather dismal when you pay attention to the lyrics. It’s a sign that the children are aware of a NEW civilization, one where they spy and people are held accountable, even their own parents.

How does Winston’s understanding of women change throughout the course of the book?

Oh goodness. In Part 2, Julia is introduced. At first it’s all sweetness and butterflies set against the backdrop of Big Brother. But then Winston admits freely that when he first saw Julia he wanted to rape and kill her. This is an extremely disturbing confession. One that does not surprise Julia in the least.

He also doesn’t care how many men she’s been with and that he hates purity and wants everyone corrupt to the bone. Why? To tear the Party to pieces. Would that behavior result in the Party breaking down? I don’t think so. I think that is exactly the direction the Party wants citizens to take. Debauchery. Sex only for procreation but the making of the rule itself causing citizens to naturally rebel against it.

While we’re here, what about that apartment?!? The writing was on the wall with that one. How could someone so easily rent a hideaway like that? I was immediately suspicious.

Given Winston’s own acknowledgment that he is under constant surveillance, and that it would only be a matter of time before the Thought Police caught him, no one in his world could be trusted. Prior to his capture, which character or characters did you envision as betraying Winston?

I never trusted Julia or O’Brien. This is my fourth time reading 1984 and so much of it I forgot but I never forgot the ill feeling I had when Winston hooked up with her and convinced himself that O’Brien was the way out.

Ponder these questions and we will reconvene 12/31 for Part 3’s discussion.

It’s Friday and the end of Week 2! Of Human Bondage is really picking up now. Many of you have mentioned its likeness to a Dicken’s novel and I would agree, minus the dark, depressing bits.

By now, you should have read the following but of course you can read it at your own pace. This week we are discussing this section:

Chapters XV-XXI / 15-21 (40 pp.)
Chapters XXII-XXXI / 22-31 (43 pp.)
Chapters XXXII-XXXV /32-35 (30 pp.)
Chapters XXXVI-XXXIX / 36-39 (22 pp.)
Discuss/Read the above by 10/11 (135 pages total)

Click here for the full schedule.

Week 2 – So Much Has Happened

A new headmaster is appointed, Tom Perkins. The first thing said about him, “he was not a gentleman.” As a child, given scholarships due to his brilliance, he went on to complete his schooling and now he’s back at Tercanbury as the headmaster.

Philip is assigned to Mr. Gordon’s class. Mr. Gordon is big on punishment of the physical kind but once Headmaster Perkins arrives, his acts are somewhat tempered so he resorts to flat-out name calling. Philip becomes the “club-footed Blockhead.” Headmaster Perkins sees Philip’s intelligence and the two form a bond.

Huge news. After a critical conversation with headmaster Perkins, Philip decides to become ordained. Perkins asks Philip to consider his physical condition a cross to bear and that God would not have allowed it unless his shoulders were strong enough to bear it. Hmmm. I mean, his deformity really wouldn’t matter in that line of work. Sounds like a plan.

Although Philip revels in the relief of knowing what he wants for his future, his time at school is still plagued by awkwardness and loneliness. The latter his own doing. He much prefers his own company but when he meets a lad named Rose, he is slowly introduced to what the other more popular accepted boys, experience. Rose and Philip become inseparable.

That is until scarlet fever comes to town. Philip is hit with it but after a schoolmate dies from it, everyone at school is rearranged and Philip is no longer in the same study as Rose. Jealousy sets in.

All the business with Rose puts Philip in a sour mood which eventually takes its toll on his studies. Mr. Perkins tells him clearly that his scholarship is at stake and that he better begin to care because up until this point, he has not.

But Philip decides to quit school and head to Germany. He is very firm on this and then not so firm, saying that if the headmaster really pushed it, he’d change his mind and stay. He’s a boy who really has no clue about his future.

Philip leaves for Germany. His Aunt arranges lodging for him, with a Professor, and two young daughters. The Professor sets him up with different professors, one of which is Wharton, deemed a math professor but really a professor of life. No math is taught.

This part of the story gets a little murky. Many characters are introduced. All professors of some sort. All of them traveling and coming and going. Philip seems taken with Hayward, but Philip is taken by many who buck the system and travel the world.

A heated conversation with Professor Weeks causes Philip to question his faith. Suddenly, he declares that he doesn’t believe in God and he’s okay with whatever punishment comes from that. But then he realizes without faith, he won’t ever see his dear, dead mother again.

Philip is called back home by his Aunt Louisa. When he returns, he finds Miss Wilkinson there. The lady who arranged lodging for him in Germany. But for whatever reason he never met her while in Germany. As he gets to know her, his affection grows.

The relationship is an impossible one. Miss Wilkinson is much older than Philip. Caught up in the passion of it all, they overstep their boundaries and then off they go. Separate ways.

Philip heads to London to become an articled clerk. An office job, managing the books. His Uncle felt a knowledge of business might be the thing for Philip. Nope. He is horrible at it.

Instead he wants to go to Paris to be an artist. His Uncle refuses to give him money for this but he decides to go anyway. Surprisingly, Aunt Louisa gives him a parting gift to help him through.

This week’s reading is really giving us a feel for young Philip. He’s proving to be rather difficult.

Philip has a knack for striking up conversations with nearly anyone. Is this a plus or a minus? He seems to hold his relationships at arm’s length. Think about how he relates to his professors.

While Hayward believes in “the Whole, the Good, and the Beautiful” (my fave line from the book), Weeks, defining himself as a Unitarian, says he “believes in almost everything that anybody else believes”. What kind of impact do these differing views have on Philip?

After realizing that he no longer believes in God, why does Philip say to himself, “If there is a God after all and He punishes me because I honestly don’t believe in Him I can’t help it.”

When Philip sees that his ideals are quite different from reality, disillusionment sets in. How does this affect him overall?

In this week’s reading, it’s very clear that Philip is a wayward soul. He’s impressionable and honestly, too easily swayed by those around him. His ability to talk to anyone, doesn’t always work for him. He establishes a relationship and then at the first sign of conflict, he moves on.

Hayward seems to hold Philip to a higher standard but then Weeks comes in and implies that it really doesn’t matter what is said or done, he will go along with whatever happens and in saying this, implies that Philip should do the same. No stance, is a stance. Interesting.

When Philip decides that there is no God and that there is no chance of him ever being ordained, he still thinks about what will happen to him if God becomes angry with him for such a decision. His worry, implies that he still believes.

At age 19, Philip is disillusioned. On one hand, you have to give him credit for at least trying things out, but the boy really has no clue. He eagerly waits for someone to tell him what to do and so he ends up going to Paris to become an artist. How will that turn out? I wonder.

How’s it going so far? I was a little worried about getting to this week’s reading but once again, a lot more readable than I expected. I read this week’s chapters in one afternoon. Really enjoying the book.