Read A Clergymans Daughter

A Clergymans Daughter is probably an under appreciated novel, perhaps hidden by the blinding strength of 1984. While Orwells really famous novels are political in nature this focuses with almost as much penetrating skill with more social aspects of society.

A Clergymans Daughter tells the story of Dorothy Haze the daughter of a rector of the local church who ruthlessly schedules her life to almost to the extent she's unconsciously or perhaps consciously a constant slave. Dorothy ends up losing her memory and goes on a number of adventures in different roles in the bottom and middle classes of society.

Orwell stuffs huge amounts of ideas into each episode of this novel. He uses her normal life as a rectors daughter to show village life and its how it functions with gossip, friendship and church also he uses it to introduce religion, the huge diversity in belief and show us Dorothys own. Later Dorothy works as Hop picker (Orwell himself worked this job) and showing how wages are systematically misused so the pickers get hardly anything, the sense of euphoria one gets for working all day and its influence on stopping critical thought (you're so tired). When Dorothy becomes a school teacher Orwell systematically shows how capitalism, private schools and silly parents all interact to give children a crap education that can't change. Finally when Dorothy talks to the village atheist Mr Warburton and goes home Orwell expresses concludes ideas about religion and servitude.

About religion, despite losing her faith Dorothy expresses what Daniel Dennett calls "belief in belief." That is Dorothy still believes religion is a good thing and wants other people to still believe, that religion gives purpose to life and this is contrasted with Warburton. But in the end we are shown Dorothy still does has a purpose, inspite of what she says, it is realised their is little difference inside the person between belief and non-belief as long as you have something to work towards, you have your purpose.

With servitude Orwell shows how forces systematically hold Dorothy in chains. In the hop fields she can only really work and get jobs by relying on Nobby her vagrant friend. As a school teacher she is bound to misery both by Mrs Creevy giving her piss poor wages and free time ensuring she is always working on something. Alternately Warburton offers to be her husband to an extent free her, yet she still would be relying on him and be with this ugly old man. So instead she has to work a kind of servitude with her father, doing church work she doesn't believe in.