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Down and Out

December 1,2009
Book of the Day: Down and Out in Paris and London, by George Orwell
Grade: A
First published: 1933
1-word review: Merde! (see chapter IV)
7-word review: Respect the poor, disgusting as they are.

Orwell wrote this book based in large part on his own experiences living and working among the dregs of society in two of Europe's wealthiest cities during the 1920's and '30's. Writing in the first person, he describes the struggle to stay fed and sheltered while facing trials and hostilities.

Paris is utterly devoid of romance. Instead it is a sewer, where dwellings are barely inhabitable, elite restaurants are plagued with vermin, and friends stab you in the back and steal from you. In other words, it's much like Boise.

London is no better, as the narrator is forced to live the life of a tramp when promised employment fails to materialize. The Man, in the form of the Law, keeps him and his comrades down.


The above picture is of Mr. Orwell himself, a known socialist. With this in mind we must discount everything he has to say, lest we all become communists. Sure, one could argue that industrialized societies still tend to treat the working (and out-of-work) poor much the same way they did when George wrote this book, but I say that if people don't want to be poor, they should simply acquire lots of money. Is that so difficult?

Comments

  1. LauriAnnDecember 2, 2009 at 1:45 PM

    Are you for real? Like Boise? I think not. You will not meet a friendlier city than Boise. People eager to greet and help you. You should be so lucky Erik Dryden and George Orwell.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Erik DrydenDecember 2, 2009 at 9:40 PM

    From what I understand, disparaging Boise is an imprisonable offense. All I remember about the place is a bright blue blur, from the turf to the people to the blue rats that roam the blue streets, feasting on the blue garbage that blocks the blue gutters. Perhaps all that blue has driven me mad.

    ReplyDelete

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