Goldstein in 1984

Anybody who's read 1984 knows who Goldstein is. Or do they? It is thought that Goldstein and "The Brotherhood" was simply a construction, which ensured that support and devotion towards Big Brother was continuous.

What do you think? Discuss.

In the book Goldstein it is said to be a former top member of the ruling (and only) Party who had broken away early in the movement and started an organization known as "The Brotherhood", dedicated to the fall of The Party. However, in the writing of the book, we find out that we won't ever know whether either "The Brotherhood" or Goldstein himself actually ever existed , even though we are told that any of them existed out side of suggestion.

And remember kids.

The Book is always written in italics.

I am amazed that some have read this. I thought I was the only one!

I love Goldstein's work, especially "The Brotherhood." He has a very creative mind and kept my on my toes the entire time! The revenge is the main factor that interests me in this book. Tons of it. Love it. Love it. I'm not big on it personally, but I do love a good book with a vindictive taste.

It's been a while since I've read this, so I don't remember TONS of it, but I will say that this is a great book and I hope to get my hands on it again someday.

Personally, I think it could make sense. BB needs to garner some support somehow. What better way than to create a fictional opposition that increases the populace's allegiance to the government?

Well, the character of Goldstein is considered to be modeled after Leon Trotsky (pen name of Lvov Davidovich Bronstein), who had similar ideas regarding the regime of Joseph Stalin, whose banishment from the Soviet Union had a similar timeline, and whose appearance was similar to the description of the image of Goldstein in the novel. So thus, he may be real after all and not a figment of the ogverment as George Orewell was trying to point out communism in his book and watned to point out famous political figures as well without being known.

I was reading it.......until I lost my copy. I got up to where Winston reads the Book, and is learning about Goldstein's theories about war, and the resources of all the states (Oceania is the only one I remember.) It was about 3 years ago, I was 13 or 14 at the time, so my memory is very hazy.

I lost my copy after that. I really should start reading it again.......
I didn't get far enough to have an intelligent conversation with you guys.......
So Goldstein is a ghost entity, a figurehead for the anti-party movement, as well as a scapegoat?

He's modelled after Leon Trostky? The same guy who had an affair with Frida Kahlo? That's all I really know about him, because I was doing a report on Frida Kahlo for my art porfolio.........I would have thought we would study him in socioligy.......anyway, I am rambling again, so I'll go.

I read 1984 back in the beginning of grade 11, so I'll try to remember as much as I can.

I believe in the book that it claims Goldstein was a manufactured idea by the Brotherhood...or maybe that was in the movie...I don't remember. In any case, that makes sense, as the best way to keep people from asking questions is to associate the asking of questions with a negative figurehead (a scapegoat, in other words). However, because the book was actually a published work, that raises questions as to whether the resistance was real or not. Unless the brotherhood was so firm in their belief that they could make any person loyal to Big Brother again that they felt that perhaps the actual use of the book would be to weed out those who were beginning to have doubts about Big Brother and the Brotherhood. This is all based on bad memory, so I may be messing this up royally.

He's modelled after Leon Trostky? The same guy who had an affair with Frida Kahlo? That's all I really know about him, because I was doing a report on Frida Kahlo for my art porfolio.........I would have thought we would study him in socioligy.......anyway, I am rambling again, so I'll go.

Heh...Trotsky was slightly more important than that. He was a major part of the Russian Revolution. He was pretty much Lenin's right hand man. After Lenin died, it was a contest between Stalin and Trotsky over who would lead Russia, and Stalin ended up on top for various reasons. Trotsky was forced to flee into hiding to avoid assasination; but in the end was assasinated by a spanish communist posing as a gardener in Mexico.

I really hadn't heard of him before......but I didn't know any of this stuff before. Only very vague suggestions at what he was.
I really don't know anything about the russian reveloution, except they bumped off the Romanovs and tried to make a farming economy (sickle and hoe). This Trotsky person seems a lot nicer then that bastard Mao Zedong.