Orwell's "Such, Such Were The Joys....": Alienation And Other Such Joys
George Orwell expresses a feeling of alienation throughout "Such, Such
Were the Joys...." He casts himself as a misfit, unable to understand his peers,
the authorities placed over him, and the laws that govern his existence. Orwell
writes, “The good and the possible never seemed to coincide” (37). Though he
shows his ability to enumerate what is “good,” he resigns himself to a
predestined state; uncertain of where exactly he fits in society, his attitude
is irreconcilable with what he knows society expects of him. Orwell's childhood
understanding of society forces him into only one possible direction, failure.
This essay is the maturing Orwell's response to childhood subjugation, a ...
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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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He 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 ...
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Orwell's "Such, Such Were The Joys....": Alienation And Other Such Joys. (2008, May 31). Retrieved April 19, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Orwells-Such-Such-Were-Joys-Alienation/84489
"Orwell's "Such, Such Were The Joys....": Alienation And Other Such Joys." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 31 May. 2008. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Orwells-Such-Such-Were-Joys-Alienation/84489>
"Orwell's "Such, Such Were The Joys....": Alienation And Other Such Joys." Essayworld.com. May 31, 2008. Accessed April 19, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Orwells-Such-Such-Were-Joys-Alienation/84489.
"Orwell's "Such, Such Were The Joys....": Alienation And Other Such Joys." Essayworld.com. May 31, 2008. Accessed April 19, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Orwells-Such-Such-Were-Joys-Alienation/84489.
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