Books (Novels) Iâve read so far in 2017
#1 1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four)
Originally published: 1949
Winston Smith is a thirty-nine-year-old, he working in Records Department in the Ministry of Truth. Winston hates the totalitarian control and enforced repression that are characteristic of his government and that makes Winston as a minority among the citizen. Any citizen action were monitory by the Party through Thought Police and telescreen to control citizen thought and prevent resistance. He always wondering why and how the party want to rule the country as long as they can, he found the reason how party ruling the totalitarian government and leaving âwhyâ.
The Party monitored all citizen activity by locate telescreen and microphone in hidden place, so the citizen have no privacy. The Party also rewrite history according to Party will to control stability of the country. Any difference of thought and resistance are intolerable acts. And The Party led by Big Brother, who never appear in public.
Winston did all his activity secretly until someone watching him, whom he think Thought Police member who assigned to kill him, and the girl was Julia, she working in the Fiction Department at the Ministry of Truth, they acquainted by incident in their office room and she will be Winstonâs lover. Winston and Julia have similarity interest, they planned to rebel the Party by joining the Brotherhood, a legendary group of anti-Party rebels.
They met Oâbrian, member of the Inner Party whom Winston believes is also a member of the Brotherhood. Oâbrian trap Winston and Julia by offer them to become member of the Brotherhood. Therefore Oâbrian can snoop their activity. Oâbrian also lend Winston forbidden book â The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivismâ by Emmanuel Goldstein, Brotherhood Leader.
Winston rent a small room above a store, he intend doing secretly activity in there with Julia. They reading Emmanuel Goldsteinâs book, cooking until making love over there, until Thought Police come. Their activities were monitored by Thought Police chief who disguise became store owner. Winston and Julia arrested.Â
At the end Winston was executed by The Party after refuse to obey Partyâs thought and propaganda.
Shallow (character) analysis:
Many Incidents and characters personality in this novel very identical with USSR (Uni Soviet Socialist Republic) political condition during world war II, furthermore George Orwellâs 1984 published on 1949, four years after end of world war II. For example:
- Ruling Party refer to Communist Party who rule USSR under Joseph Stalin authority
- Big Brother refer to Joseph Stalin, he ruled USSR government by manipulating news and histories. He also known as authoritarian leader during his regime.
- Emmanuel Goldstein refer to Leon Trotsky a leader of the Bolshevik revolution, Leninâs close friend and Stalinâs rival. Leon Trotsky was being banished by Stalin and he wrote âThe Revolution Betrayedâ as a denounce to Stalin and USSR regime.
- USSR torture for opposer.
- USSR made fake fact, news, and history.
- Propaganda usually used under Stalinâs rigime.
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Originally published: 1945
Mr. Jones is a farmer who runs Manor Farm, that night he drunk while doing his routine: locking the cage and with hurry back to his house. Afer the cage was locked, all animals made a noisy sound because Old Major ârespectable boar in Manor farm- he had a weird vision last night, and he planned to tell all animals about his vision. All animal gather in front of Old Major, three dogs coming first Bluebell, Jessie, and Pitcher. Two horse following Boxer and Clover, also white goat Muriel and Benjamin a donkey, and young female horse Mollie. All animals are attend except Moses, the tame raven
Before starting his vision, Old Major make a speech about his life, he canât living long again so he decided to tell his dream before he die. His vision about animals suffer caused by Man, Man is the only creature that consumes without producing, but humans take full advantage over the animals. By getting rid of humans, animals will enjoy his own work. The story followed by an invitation to rebel Mr Jones.
Old Major dies three days after the meeting, three younger pigsâSnowball, Napoleon, and Squealerâformulate his main principles into a philosophy called Animalism. The animals finally defeat Mr. Jones and rename farmâs name, Animal Farm as a dedicate Majorâs dream.
Napoleon and Snowball fight each other to control the future of the farm, and they begin to struggle for power and influence among the other animals. Snowball make a plan to build an electricity-generating windmill, but Napoleon solidly refuse the plan. At the meeting to vote on whether to take up the project, Snowball gives a passionate speech. After the speech, Napoleon ordered his watchdogs to chase Snowball from the farm.
Napoleon quickly change his mind about the windmill, and claimed that is his plan to built a windmill. All animals involved the construction of windmill, Boxer and Clover are the most worked animals. Napoleon claims that Snowball returned to the farm to sabotage the windmill, and any animals who involved with Snowball plan will be execute. Napoleon begin his power to make Snowball as a villain by rewrite history. Napoleon also act more and more like a human beingâsleeping in a bed, drinking whisky. The original Animal Principle forbade that activities, but Squealer -Napoleonâs propagandist- convicing other animals that Napoleon is a great leader.
Mr. Frederick, a neighboring farmer cheats Napoleon and attacks the farm, he also destroys the windmill. But animal defeat him, many animal were injured because the attack, including Boxer. The animals try to rebuild the windmill, but Boxer âthe most loyal and hard worker- falls when he work on the windmill. One day Boxer has lost, Squealer told to the other that Boxer has died in peace after having been taken to the hospital. Actually, sold Boxer to a glue marker in order to get money for whisky.
The pigs become more like human âwalking upright, carrying whips, and wearing clothes. The seven principles of Animalism was reduced to a single principle âall animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.â Finally Napoleon made a deal with Mr. Pilkington -a neighboring farm- to fight against the laboring classes of both the human and animal communities. Napoleon also rechange âAnimal Farmâ back to âManor Farmâ and claiming âManor Farmâ was the correct one. The other animals are seeing that meeting through the window, and they cannot tell which are the pigs and which are human.
Shallow (character) analysis:Â
This novel was released on 1945 before George Orwellâs 1984, but this novel have some similarity, authoritarian, rebellion, and suffer. The background of this novel is The Russian Revolution on 1917 against Tsar.
- Mr. Jones represents Tsar Nicholas II, whom the Russian Revolution ousted.
- Old Major represents Karl Marx and Lenin as the the Russian revolutionary leader.
- Napoleon represents Stalin as an authoritarian leader who intimidate the other and consolidate his power.
- Snowball represents Leon Trotsky, he good at speech and intelligent one. He also was being banished by Stalin.
- Boxer as a hard worker represents Russian working-class who helped to oust Tsar Nicholas and establish the Soviet Union.
- Clover as a female friend of Boxer represents The women of the Revolution as motherly figure for revolutionist army.
- Squealer represents Vyacheslav Molotov, Stalin's right-hand man and head of Communist propaganda.
- Mollie as a horse who loves being groomed and pampered represents petit bourgeoisie that fled from Russia a few years after the Russian Revolution.
- Benjamin, the donkey who refuse to inspired by rebellion represents Menshevik intelligentsia.
- Muriel as a intelligent goat who help other animal to read seven principles of Animalism represents a subtle, revelatory influence because of her willingness to help bring things to light (as opposed to Benjamin).
- Mr. Frederic as an untrustworthy neighbor represents Adolf Hitler, the leader of Nazi Germany.
- Mr. Pilkington represents the capitalist governments of England and the United States
* Bolshevik are member of a wing of the Russian Social-Democratic Workers' Party. Menshevik class wanted to make their movement less elitist than the Bolsheviks in the belief that it would attract the support of the uneducated workers and peasants.
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#3 Aib dan Martabat (Shyness and Dignity)
Originally published: 2006
This novel is an epic and also as a representative 21th century students character (Indonesian). They dislike their own culture (language) course, they like to think softly. Elias Rukla also represent teachers nowadays, with fashioned style of teaching.
Elias Rukla able to restrain his emotions with class, all students always shows their dejection when Elias command to read Ibsen's "Wild Duck" every meeting. Until Elias can't restrain again, when he want to go home, but rain out there, he keeps run out over the rain, and trying to open his stuck umbrella, he keeps trying by hit it to the floor. Few students watching his fool act under the rain, one students come to help, but Elias even denounce her with a rant. He know what he did, he will be sack and he ran without destination. He don't know how to tell his wife about his future. Whatâs next? flashback..........................
