1984

I'm reading George Orwell's novel "1984". It occurred to me
yesterday that, while it adds critically to his message, and mirrors
both the Soviet and Chinese postwar situations, the emphasis on the
scarcity of goods is almost counterproductive to his aims. It seems
to me that the message would be more poignant if there was plentiful
food and goods. For it is to an authoritarian plenty, rather than the
poverty of 1984, where countries like China are heading in the era
of globalization. It is this model that will compete with liberal
democracy in the coming years. Nicholas Kristof's "China Wakes"
describes some of 1984's horrors in modern China.

Update:
Now that I've read further, it seems the story wouldn't work
if there were plentiful goods. I'm finding it hard to take this book
seriously. Animal Farm is a much better satire.