Orwell's "Such, Such Were The Joys....": Alienation And Other Such Joys

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a place ruled by love rather than by fear, where you did not have to be
perpetually taken out of this warm nest and flung into a world of force and
fraud and secrecy, like a goldfish into a tank full of pike. (23)

Young Orwell, impacted by this, “hard,” disorienting situation, realizes he
is alone in a hostile, harsh environment. Orwell uses the image of the “
warm nest,” a womb, from which the child is thrown, then innocently forced
into a destructive reality. This reality is Crossgates, an educational
institution but also a primary residence, the “home” Orwell lives in on a
daily basis for a number of years. Far from the “love” of his familial
home, Orwell finds that Crossgates does not nurture nor raise a boy to
manhood, but rather destroys all that he loves and trusts. Hopelessly
dominated in this environment, he is compelled to accept a mentality of
insecurity and inferiority and becomes the fodder of others--the winners of
society.
Sim and Bingo, the spiritual and ...

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is deemed virtueless and therefore the natural
subject of those who are virtuous.
The introductory, poignant tale of bedwetting epitomizes Orwell's
alienating education. As the author describes his childhood situation, “I
knew that bed-wetting was a)wicked and b)outside my control” (5). Faced by
an embarrassing problem he cannot understand or help, the eight-year old
Orwell condemns himself as a sinner, following that which he is preached.
Without thinking, questioning or understanding, he blindly accepts the
morality presented him. The school establishment shuns and castigates him,
teaching him through fiery sermons and corporal punishment to hate himself
for his incorrigible actions. ...

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