George Orwell’s 1984 is a difficult work to digest, with several threads, themes and questions begging to be explored. The three most pressing are reflections on fear, the human spirit, family as a bulwark against tyranny, and the coal-miner objection to capitalism.

George Orwell’s classic 1984 warns of totalitarian governments, a surveillance state, and the societal consequences of limiting free expression and diversity of thought. Interestingly, Orwell uses the degradation of the family as a major component to the introduction of totalitarianism, as well as assaults on individuality and objectivism about truth and the external world. This timely tome can be discouraging, but is undeniably thought-provoking and insightful for the pioneers of the 21st century.