Orwell’s painful experiences as a miner in the coal mines of Wigan Pier is described in graphic detail in this book.
He describes the miserable conditions in which the miner works - walking on bended knees for one to three miles a day inside the mines because the ceiling is so low , shovelling tons of coal sitting hunched on the ground for hours together , the inherent dangers of coal mines : wall collapses , gas explosions and so on , the pitiful wages they receive and the accompanying malnutrition and of course the widespread unemployment that was prevalent at that time , in the late 1930s.
The first part of the book focusses on the miner’s conditions while the second part contains Orwell’s musings on socialism , slum redevelopment , his reminiscences about his childhood which shaped his ideologies and his bitter attack on middle and upper class hypocrisy . The book is unique in the sense that it is a insider’s account of a world that is alien to most of us , the poverty and the degradation of the lower classes. Many times , the author wonders - why do we let this shameful situation continue ? Why can’t we spend our money on the right things instead of on wasteful things like war and mindless entertainment ? Perhaps , he muses , none of us are really interested in solving the problem.
His observations on poverty and socialism are still relevant even after so many years. Orwell deliberately spent many years among the dregs of society - tramps , beggars and miners leading a hand-to-mouth existence in order to understand their plight and voice their concerns. Some of these experiences are related in another book Down and Out in Paris and London. Whatever his personal motivations , his honesty and compassion is always apparent . He was seen by many as the moral conscience of his times.