I am reading “Down and Out in Paris & London” by George Orwell and its fantastic. I knew Orwell as an author of “Animal farm” and “1984”, but this book is entirely different. Its more of an autobiography, about his days spent in poverty in these high cities. This is not about the upper class life that we read in many novels, but its more the opposite, its real and its honest. Here you don’t look at poor people with pity as is done in most movies and literature. But you see them as real human beings. And you see their life, not with prejudice of misery, filth and charity but you see it more subjectively, through the eyes of an author who has himself been through it. It comments about difference between how people like us perceive poverty and the real hand to mouth poverty. More than this, you see Orwell as a person (instead of a novelist) and you perceive people through eyes of Orwell. After reading this, I am beginning to feel that I am understanding Orwell better, understanding what could be motives behind style of “Animal Farm" and “1984”.
I believe, I somehow relate to ‘world view’ of Orwell, atleast as far as people are concerned. Though it is not same as ‘moral dreamworld’ view that most people today seem to be believing in, but its more close to reality and its wonderful nonethless.
All this talk of poverty and inequality reminds me of a dialogue from the movie "Enemy at the Gates", it goes - "We tried so hard to create a society that was equal, where there'd be nothing to envy your neighbor. But there's always something to envy. A smile. A friendship. Something you don't have and want to appropriate. In this world-even a Soviet one- there will always be rich and poor. Rich in gifts...poor in gifts. Rich in love...poor in love."
Hmmm...the picture is flower of some weed :)
Cheers!
