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Compare And Contrast 1984 And A Thousand Splendid Suns

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It’s no surprise that books 1984 and A Thousand Splendid Suns have each graced the New York Times bestsellers’ list. Both books have a healthy confusion of pleasure and disquietude, which keep the reader enagaged and eager to find out what happens next. Often times the source of this healthy mix of happy and sad, is the characters’ relationships and overall well-being. Great authors do an excellent job of injecting pathos into their novels to evoke feelings of pity or anxiety in the reader. In the society of Oceania, where marriages between people physically attracted to each other is strictly forbidden, it’s rare when a couple such as Winston and Julia appear. When Julia runs into Winston and passes a note for him to read, both Winston and the reader are anxious to know what the note entails, as this quote displays. “His heart bumped in his breast with frightening loudness.” (Pg. 135) When it’s revealed that Julia does in fact have feelings for Winston, the reader automatically gets a sense that they’re star-crossed lovers. While it’s pleasing that Julia has expressed her love without getting caught, it’s simultaneously concerning that there is a high chance of getting caught if the utmost caution isn’t used. After Winston receives the note, he faces an internal struggle of promptly responding to Julia so she does not think he is rebuffing her, while not compromising himself. Winston realizes this as detailed in this quote, “Obviously the kind of encounter that had

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