Injustice in the Eyes of a Child - Such, Such Were The Joys by George Orwell

            While an author’s stories should be reviewed on their own merit, I found myself comparing Orwell’s essay Such, Such Were the Joys! and his book Animal Farm.  My mother had always enjoyed Animal Farm for its classical and hidden meanings and felt that my sister and I would benefit from reading his writings.  While the tone in which these two stories were written differed greatly, the overarching theme remained much the same – injustice and leaders who only cared about themselves.  The schoolmasters at Crossgates made George Orwell into a guilty, ashamed person every chance they could while he there.  He wasn’t a prince?  No, he was there purely by luck.  He was reduced to feeling gratitude to the headmasters in hopes that he would one day get a scholarship to a decent school.  The only other option would be a desk for 40 pounds per year. 

            Orwell seems to hate and accept the punishment doled out by the headmasters.  At the beginning he felt that it wasn’t his fault, i.e. the bedwetting, but by the end of the story he believes all of the lies told to him, i.e. masturbating.  The psychological issues in the background of this story showed how much his life was impacted by living at Crossgates. 

            At the end, George Orwell makes a point to tell us that he has never been back to Crossgates, but he though he thought of it scarcely, when he did the memories were pointed and vivid.  He wants to forget, but is not fully able.  Life keeps us in its boundaries no matter how hard we try to escape.