Commentary on the Satiric Nature of George Orwell’s 1984 Essay

It goes without saying that every work in literature is unique. The way that certain novels, novellas, or poems go about accentuating certain themes or points, whether of grand nature or of little consequence to society, is certainly achieved through a concoction of literary styles. The most enduring and effective works of literature exhibit an artful combination of literary device and aforementioned technique. Without a doubt, George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four exhibits such a blend of style through characteristics of a dystopian novel and satire. Orwell lived in a time when the spread of communism, mostly unbeknownst to his audience, posed an unimaginable threat to freedom. Therefore, though his novel, he attempted to emphasize the fallacies that would exist in a totalitarian nation-state if people were to accept its lure of equality. However, many argue about how exactly Orwell goes about achieving this; the line of argument divided between satire and a dystopian fictio n. Yet, it’s impossible to be dogmatic when considering this aspect of literature since, as stated above, any piece of literature, most especially works such as Nineteen Eighty-Four, exhibit a mix of literary elements. Upon close inspection though, it becomes possible to understand Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four as a novel with strong satiric elements. By analyzing the presence of novelistic rudiments, such as dystopian plot, characterization, theme, and symbolism, compared to satiric essentials of humor, irony, and subtle criticism, it becomes evident that the effectiveness of Nineteen Eighty-Four derives from the fact that it adheres strongly as a novel with strong satiric elements compared to satire with novelistic elements. It’s important to emphasis tha... ...symbolism employs, it becomes possible to understand Nineteen Eighty-Four as a novel with strong satiric elements. There are different degrees of satire, and this particular work of Orwell the satire, perhaps compared to more blatant criticisms of political theories such as his Animal Farm, is much more subtle. The criticism is less obvious compared to the more foreboding warning presented through the implementation of novelistic elements. Still, some may argue that the exaggerated nature of the work is itself satiric, but one can’t necessarily draw a distinction between that and warning. Thus lies the murkiness that makes works such as Nineteen Eighty-Four effective. Prevalent novelistic elements combined with subtle jabs of satire, in the form of dark humor, criticism, and irony; make this particular work everlasting and truly applicable to any temporal period.