Write the life and works of George Orwell.

Ans.

His Family Life

George was born in 1903 at Motihari, a town in Bengal in India. His father was an officer in the Customs and Excise department there. Soon his father retired with a meagre pension, so his family left for England. His father found it difficult to support his family, so it faced poverty with very limited financial means. George felt that there was a consciousness of poverty like that of a working class family. He added that his family truly belonged to a lower middle class which could not be called different from the low level.

It is necessary to point out that there were three children in the family including George as the only son of his parents with his two sisters. His one sister was elder and the other sister was younger to him. George felt social differences because his mother loved him more than his sisters. His father could not impress him, so he started disliking him. It was in his childhood that he was closely related to his mother who felt his feelings rightly. He said, “I merely disliked my own father whom I had barely seen before I was eight and who appeared to me simply as a gruff-voiced elderly man forever saying Don’t.” In this way, George was the favourite child of his mother more than his sisters.

His Education

George was sent to Eton for his early education but he felt much humiliated both by the students and the teachers because he was supposed to belong to a poor family. In his essay later on he expressed his bitter experience of his school days. He never forgot the remark of his teacher who once said to him, “You know, your are not going to grow up with money, ‘don’t you? Your people aren’t rich. You must learn to be sensible. Don’t get above yourself.” Inspite of poverty George won scholarship in that school at Eton. When a chance came for his higher education at the university, he was advised by his friends to get a job to continue his higher education.

His Job

On the suggestion of his friends, George got a job in the Indian Imperial Police, so he was sent to Burma where he continued to serve from 1922 to 1927. He shouldered the burden of his job as a ‘sahib’ well outwardly but he disliked his job in his heart of hearts. Its reason was that he did not get any freedom in the course of his service. He never forgot that the main aim of his life was to become a writer. With this reason he did not like to waste the important period of his life to earn money. Malcolm Muggeridge, the famous essayist is of the opinion that he had disliked the police job where he had worked for a period of five years. It was in 1927 when he returned to England on leave but he resigned from that police job in India.

As a Writer

George was very eager to become a great writer so he went to Paris where he could write some articles and books. There he was much harassed by the publisher who did not encourage him in any way. To earn his bare subsistence he did the mean work of washing dishes. In that period he was compelled to live in a very dirty atmosphere where he came in contact with the poor and oppressed people of society. Then he himself wrote these significant words “These (that is tramps, criminals, beggars, prostitutes) were the lowest of the low, and these were the people with whom I wanted to get into contact.” In this way, he wished to identify himself with such poor people and realize their sufferings with his own sufferings.

George Orwell also worked as a teacher in private schools during the period from 1929 upto 1935. He also worked as a worship assistant to earn more money to serve his ends. For this he kept a chicken farm, a village store and a public louse. He also made contribution to the writing of some books and magazines. He published his book, ‘Down and Out’ in Paris and London in 1933. After some time he went to north England. His second book was, ‘The Road to Wigan Pier’ which contained autobiographical account of his school days.

His Marriage

It was in the summer of 1936 when George Orwell returned from north of England. In the same year, he married Eileen O’ Shaughnessy. It was the period when a civil war for democracy started, so he wanted to write some articles about the war for a newspaper. Then he went to Spain with his wife where he made a criticism of the communist International Brigade which then was a great power in that country. On account of this he had suffered many bitter experiences. On account of war conditions in that country a stray bullet struck him in his neck. He became. so much frightened that he escaped with his wife from that country. He wrote a book, ‘Homage to Catalonia’ in 1938 describing his experiences in Spain.

His Return to England

George Orwell returned to England from Spain before 1939 when the Second World War started. He had a strong desire to join the army but he failed because he was suffering from lungs trouble as well as due to that wound which he had suffered in the war in Spain. When he was not selected, he became much disappointed. In 1940, he joined the Home Guard and began to serve in the Indian Service of B.B.C. After the end of the Second World War George Orwell resigned from the post of the Home Guard because it was a temporary post. After this he resumed his literary work so that he could earn his bread and butter.

His Poverty

After the Second World War, particularly in the period of 1945, George Orwell was compelled to face dire poverty in a large measure. With this reason he started working hard to write for a number of newspapers and magazines in a regular way like the, ‘Tribune’ and ‘Observer’. In this way, he made his best efforts to earn his bare living by writing his articles and other literary work.

His Last Period

It was a stroke of his greatest misfortune in 1945 when he could not save his wife who had died of a minor operation. He became very unhappy when he was deprived of the company of his wife in the period of his sorrow and suffering. He wanted to publish, ‘Animal Farm’ which he had completed in February 1944. It was rejected by four publishers but later on it was published and he earned great name and fame by its publication. He continued to remain busy in the work of journalism for two more years in the great city of London.

It was in the year 1947 when George Orwell !eft for a Hebridean Island named Jura which was situated on the west coast of Scotland. He also took his adopted son with him. His purpose in going there was to find some relief from work and busy life. It was in the year 1949 when he married again with Sonia Brownell who had been working as an editorial assistant with, ‘Horizon. It was a literary magazine and George himself used to write for it more and more. His another novel, ‘1984’ was published in the same year, 1949. He also started writing a book on Conrad but he could not succeed in his plan because he had fallen seriously ill. He decided to go to Switzerland for his medical treatment. Unfortunately he could not go there. Its reason was that on January 23, 1950 he suffered from haemorrhage and died after a few months.

Major Novels of George Orwell

1. Burmese Days (1934): His first novel was, ‘Burmese Days’ which was published in 1934. He had served the Indian Imperial Police for about five years from 1922 upto 1927. The book was published by him in New York in 1934. He described his experiences of his service there in an autobiographical manner. It is the story of that man who had suffered much in his life. Flory is the name of the hero of this novel and George Orwell described his own experiences through him in the east. He had written the novel after he had returned to Europe. Like the writer himself, his hero, Flory did not have any moral courage.

Flory was an Englishman who used to work as a timber-merchant in Burma under the British rule. He lived there a lonely life cut off from his family, friends an relatives. He was a bachelor, so he knew the difference between good and bad. He decided to develop the Burmese national character but his moral courage failed. He began to doubt his beloved’s character and her name was Elizabeth Lackersteen. He became much disappointed when she had rejected him.

Flory gave up his fighting spirit against the corruption. At last he lost his own individuality by realizing the difference between reality and practical life. At last he committed suicide In this way, ‘Burmese Days’ is an autobiographical novel in which George Orwell described his own experiences in Burma where he had served as a police officer.

2. A Clergyman’s Daughter (1935): This novel which was published in 1935 was much criticized as a weak novel for not being a work of literature. George Orwell himself did not like it much, so he did not want to include it in his published novels. The quality of the book is that its hero is a woman who is the daughter of a clergyman.

It is necessary to point out that the central character of the novel is Dorothy Hare who was the daughter of a Clergyman. She was afraid of sex. She not only lost her memory but she also became without any money in London. She came in contact with some cockney youth. That group stopped her from returning her home. When her memory came back, she was sent to teach in a private school but she returned to her father after one year. Then she felt that she could not adjust herself according to her old faith but she refused any substitute for that faith. Its reason was that virginity had become very important for her. She started making costumes for the play to be shown in the church.

So far as the construction of the novel is concerned it was written under picaresque tradition. The story of the novel shows the element of autobiography. Dorothy started living with the poor and the orphans when she was working as a teacher.

3. Keep the Aspidistra Flying (1936): The present novel which was published in 1936 is related to the theme of money. George Orwell could not keep himself away from the life and experiences of Gordon Comstock the hero of the novel who had decided to make use of his ability in the writing work. He also gave up the chance for a job in the advertising company but he joined as a book shop assistant on the meagre salary of two pounds per week. He got enough time for writing but he could not continue. it because of his poverty which dominated his life. He struggled for money which he regarded important. He fell in love with Rose Mary, a beautiful girl who became pregnant after some time. She put two conditions before him, either the baby should be aborted and he should continue his way of life, or he should marry her to continue his job in the advertising company. Gordan ultimately decided to marry her with an idea to arrange some furniture and other things for his happy married life.

4. Coming up for Air (1939): This novel which was published in 1939 was regarded his successful book. He advocated socialism with two themes, socialism-and the effect of war. The story was narrated in first person in comic atmosphere. George Bolling, of forty-five years is the central character of the novel. He was neither nagged by his wife, nor he was irritated by his children. He used to make himself free from illusions and critical society. He very well knew about the political and economic swindles against him. He also knew the effects of war. He had also a sense of humour.

5. Animal Farm (1945): The present novel which was published in 1945 proved his greatest success. Though he had completed it in 1944 but no publisher became ready to publish it because it was a funny allegory showing political ups and downs. It was a satire against the Russian revolution which was not opposed even by the British government. He decided to publish it privately in 1945 but it was published with great fame. It was much liked in America than in any other country of the world. It was translated in many languages of the world.

The story of the novel begins with the revolt of animals in the farm against man. Old Major acted as the prophet of a revolution which was started by the pigs against the tyranny of man. The animals turned out the farmer and the pigs became the rulers. They also became cruel because the power had corrupted them. The animals like pigs stand for the forces of Fascism and capitalism.

6. Nineteen Eighty Four (1949): The present novel which was published in 1949 is a sermon rather than a piece of old fiction. The hero of the novel is Winston Smith, a civil servant who revolted against the totalitarian system under which he used to work. He was given the work of writing history again according to the party policy with which he was not agreed. He was not agreed with its slogans ‘War is peace’, ‘Freedom is slavery’ and ‘Ignorance is strength. Winston Smith wrote his thoughts in his personal diary but he found himself very weak against the party powers because they had a telescreen in every room to know the actions of all employers. Meantime he fell in love with an office-girl who was against the party modes. Both of them made a plot against the party and Winston was imprisoned and tortured so much that his powers failed.

In the present novel, George Orwell tried to draw the war-time life of the people of 1944. He imagined that everyone would become a coward, or a spy by 1984. Both money and power would dominate the society. Some critics feel that the writer failed to convey his real message to his readers.