The setting of the dystopian novel 1984 seems nightmarish and far-fetched. However, in some places the totalitarian rule of Big Brother is reality. In my opinion, the country that most resembles 1984 is North Korea. The society that main character Winston Smith lives in is characterized by overbearing government surveillance and mind-control of the population. Independent thought is completely outlawed, and people are regularly detained and severely punished if there is even the slightest suspect that they have performed “Thought Crime”. This extreme exercise of power and complete lack of privacy is justified by the state as being for the greater good. This is eerily similar to North Korea, where people who openly (or privately) criticize the
