The Road to Wigan Pier

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1937

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Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-6

Chapters 7-9

Chapters 10-13

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Themes

Socialism as a Solution

George Orwell does not hide his political beliefs in The Road to Wigan Pier; he views socialism as the solution to the poverty and suffering he witnesses in the working-class industrial towns of North England. His political advocacy becomes a theme in the book, and he largely dedicates the second half of the text to how and why people should consider socialism a viable option.

To broaden his argument’s appeal, Orwell interprets socialism broadly. He does not delve into political theory beyond advocating for the idea that workers should own the means of production—for example, that miners own the mines in which they work. This socialist approach, Orwell believes, would limit the extent to which workers are exploited and made to suffer in the name of profit. Additionally, Orwell believes that the triumph of socialism would mean the elimination of the class system in Great Britain. Working and middle-class people would no longer be pitted against one another, which he blames for a great deal of strife in British society.

While Orwell advocates for socialism as a solution, he is aware of its limitations. He tries to empathize with anti-socialist viewpoints, acknowledging that such people will need to be convinced of the benefits of socialism, lest they join the side of fascism. As Orwell sees it, however, most of the arguments against socialism aren’t inherent to the ideology, but are either problems of misinterpretation (e.g. that socialism will cause rampant, unwanted industrialization) or problems of public image (e.g. the existence of so many socialist “cranks”). Orwell tries to debunk these arguments, but also uses the threat of fascism to broaden socialism’s appeal. If, as Orwell claims, socialism and fascism are the only available choices, some readers might be more inclined to put their misgivings aside to avert disaster.

The Failings of Middle-Class People

While The Road to Wigan Pier is an examination of the difficulties faced by working-class British people, Orwell dedicates long passages of the book to the middle class. As a member of the middle class, Orwell has far more experience with and a far deeper understanding of this demographic. He is well aware of his status as an outsider when living with working-class people, so his experiences are always those of a detached observer. When discussing the middle class, however, Orwell draws on his own autobiography and provides a stinging criticism of that demographic’s failings.

Orwell describes the anger and resentment of the middle class toward the working class, whom they regard as lazy, rude, and dirty; he himself was told as a child not to play with working-class children so that he wouldn’t pick up their accent. At the same time, the middle class knows very little about the realities of working-class life—for example, how little miners are actually paid—often out of willful ignorance. Orwell only became aware of these lies and myths as an adult and soon began to resent his own complicity in this system. Orwell wants to guide his fellow members of the middle class along the journey he has undertaken. By reaching out to them through his own experiences and describing the way in which he has developed his worldview, he hopes that he can foster a greater sense of empathy and understanding in his middle-class readers.

Orwell ultimately seeks to eliminate the entire class system and heal the divisions between the classes. To do so, he needs to portray the shared humanity between the two demographics. In a book ostensibly about working-class life, Orwell spends time on the middle class’s failures because he recognizes that healing class divisions may be the only way to improve the lives of working-class people. These failings are not unique; all of British society is complicit in the suffering of working-class people, including working-class people who have internalized this social structure and who fail to question its existence. By drawing attention to these areas of overlap, the book models the happier, fairer, classless society it advocates.

A Matter of Perspective

The Road to Wigan Pier values experience over everything else and considers people’s character and views as products of their environment; for example, the Brookers’ selfish and greedy worldview reflects the brutality of the world in which they live. To understand the problems of unemployment and poverty, Orwell therefore feels the need to experience these issues for himself. He lives in mining communities and subjects himself to the same terrible living conditions that the miners and their families experience. These experiences then provide a platform from which he can advocate for socialism and other political solutions.

For Orwell, firsthand experience is therefore key to making convincing arguments, and he uses examples from his own life to critique imperialism and the class system. His experiences in Burma inform his criticisms of the British Empire, and his middle-class childhood informs his opinions about the class system. By providing this context for his own personal development, Orwell seeks to connect with other middle-class people; the implication is that, given their shared background, there’s no reason why these people shouldn’t arrive at the same conclusions Orwell has. At the same time, he tries to understand how people could not desire a fairer, more equal society by adopting the point of view of middle-class critics of socialism. While he does not ultimately agree with them, he approaches their arguments in good faith; he recognizes the strange appearance of some socialists may be off-putting, he recognizes the value of a nostalgic appeal to the past, and he recognizes that many people may be afraid to give up their class privilege. Orwell then works to address these concerns, and urges other socialists to do the same by factoring their audience’s life experiences into their arguments.