Avevo in casa 1984 di George Orwell. Nonostante lo avessi già letto a scuola, mi sentivo che questo libro si meritasse un’altra lettura da parte mia. Più rilassata.
Bene, forse ho scelto il libro sbagliato per rilassarmi. Però, vi voglio condividere le mie sottolineature.
Outside the white wall of the Ministry of Truth:
WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
In a dream, seven years before the events, O’Brien said to Winston:
“We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness.”
Orwell describes Winston’s work:
All history was a palimpsest, scraped clean and reinscribed exactly as often as was necessary.
Written on a pieace of paper by Julia:
- I love you. -
O’Brein during Winston’s confession:
“We are not interested in those stupid crimes that you have committed. The Party is not interested in the overt act: the thought is all we care about. We do not merely destroy our enemies; we change them. Do you understand what I mean by that?"
[…]
“Even in the instant of death we cannot permit any deviation."
[…]
“By the time we had finished with them they where only the shells of men. There was nothing left in them except sorrow for what they had done, and love of Big Brother. It was touching to see how they loved him.”
O’Brein during Winston’s torture:
“Do you begin to see, then, what kind of world we are creating? […] A world of fear and treachery and torment […] Progress in our world will be progress towars more pain. […] In our world there will be no emotions except fear, rage, triumph, and self-abasement. Everything else we shall destroy, everything. […] Procreation will be an annual formality like the renewal of a ration card. We shall abolish the orgasm. Our neurologists are at work upon it now. There will be no loyalty, except loyalty toward the Party. There will be no love, except the love of Big Brother. […] There will be no art, no literature, no science. When we are omnipotent we shall have no more need of science. There will be no distinction between beauty and ugliness. There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. […] But always - do not forget this, Winston - always there will be the intoxication of power, […] Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever.”
After the confession, Winston and Julia meet each other in the park:
“I betrayed you”, she said baldly.
“I betrayed you”, he said.
[…]
“And after that, you don’t feel the same toward the other person any longer."
“No”, he said, “you don’t feel the same.”
Winston waits fervently for the result of the war in Africa:
It was the bullettin! Victory!
1984 finale:
He gazed up at the enormous face. Forty years it had taken him to learn what kind of smile was hidden beneath the dark mustache. Oh cruel, needless misunderstanding!
[…]
He had won the victory over himselft. He loved Big Brother.
Winston ha scoperto cosa si trova nella stanza 101. Ha anche tradito Julia, rompendo la promessa che aveva stretto con lei. Ed infine, Winston si ritrova a non essere. Trascorre le sue ore aspettando impaziente i bollettini di guerra, unica sua gioia, e amando Big Brother.
È diventato quello che si era promesso di non diventare. Il Partito è riuscito a cambiare anche lui. Sapeva che prima o poi l’avrebbero preso, ma mai avrebbe immaginato di iniziare a credere che 2+2=5.
Divagando… È importante difenderli oggi i diritti, perchè domani può già essere tardi. Accorgersi l’indomani dell’importanza di una cosa che si è perso e quindi lottare per riaverla può non essere cosa semplice se, come Winston, non si è più liberi.