1984

This discussion guide was shared and sponsored in partnership with Mariner Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Book club questions for 1984 by George Orwell

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

In the afterword, the commentator describes 1984 as “a warning.” Indeed, throughout the text, Orwell plants both subtle and overt warnings to the reader. What do you think are some of the larger issues at hand here?

Do you think Winston is a heroic figure. Why or why not?

Early on in the novel, we learn of Winston’s belief in the proles as a liberating force. What accounts for Winston’s almost blind faith in the proles? What are some of the characteristics of the proles that, in Winston’s eyes, make them the ultimate means for overthrowing Big Brother?

From her first appearance as “the dark-haired girl,” through to the end of the novel, Julia is a key figure in 1984. Trace the path of Julia in relation to Winston’s life; in what ways does she influence him? Did you trust her, initially? Overall, do you feel she had a positive or negative impact upon him?

Following his capture, Winston undergoes a process of “philosophical cleansing” and re-education against which he valiantly, but unsuccessfully fights. How is Winston brought to “love Big Brother?” In sacrificing Julia, how has Winston, in essence, signaled his own end?

Discuss the role of sex and intimacy in 1984. What specific function does the Party’s directive on sexual interaction serve?

In the final analysis, how accurate was Orwell in his vision of the future? In what ways does our contemporary society compare to his idea of society in 1984? Are there examples in which he was correct? What is most opposite? Do you see a potential for aspects of Orwell’s “vision” to come true?

Prior to meeting her, Winston fantasizes about Julia in violent, humiliating ways. Later, he describes in his diary an encounter with a middle-aged, toothless prostitute. How do you account for these thoughts? How does Winston’s understanding of women change after his first liaison with Julia?

Imagine yourself as Winston Smith at the beginning of 1984. What would you do to undermine The Party? Knowing what you know now, how would you extricate yourself from the fate that awaits you?

1984 Book Club Questions PDF

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A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick and one of the BBC's 100 Novels that Shaped the World

“Orwell saw, to his credit, that the act of falsifying reality is only secondarily a way of changing perceptions. It is, above all, a way of asserting power.”—The New Yorker

“1984 is a profound, terrifying, and wholly fascinating book. It is a fantasy of the political future, and like any such fantasy, serves its author as a magnifying device for an examination of the present.”—Lionel Trilling