1949 by George Orwell.

I first thought Winston and Julia would undermine Big Brother at the end of the story, but my guess was 180 degrees betrayed. Like “Animal Farm,” Big Brother (Napoleon) wins and destroys Winston completely.

Secondly, I was surprised that O’Brien was a Thought Police member, who at the end of the story destroys Winston’s sanity and makes him half insane and half-unconscious by torturing him physically. Orwell excellently misleads the reader. Almost every reader may think that O’Brien was Winston’s strong ally.

Thirdly, Big Brother changes the rebellious thought to the obedient thought and kills the “criminal,” after making him unconsciously “love” Big Brother.

Some of the points the book reminded me of:

1.    What has become of Julia?  Orwell does not reveal it. 

2.    Nowadays Telescreens are everywhere, at every street corner and stores. Such security cameras can single out criminals and wanted people among a crowd of people. They are telescreens.

3.    By brain-washing, you can hypnotize the normal people’s thoughts as in the case of the Sarin Incident, where many young intellectual people became the victims of brainwashing and did a savage crime. They were not tortured, but brain-washed.

4.    China and North Korea govern the citizens by the totalitarian ideology. Those who are against the Party’s policy are expelled or executed. Recently China passed a national security law. Now China can arrest any person that they think is dangerous to China and put him or her to a lifelong sentence.

5.    During the era of Qin Shi Huang, the first ruler in China around 240 B.C., showed a horse to his subordinates and said, “I think this is a deer. What do you think?” Those who said it was a horse were killed. Thus, he eliminated those who were against him.