The Orwell conundrum in coming up for air: A call for action or passive resistance?

Among the many ways Orwell's novel Coming Up for Air (1939) has been read, two different interpretations stand out in clear contrast: the novel is understood as a call for action, a preparation for the revolution, or alternatively, it is considered an exploration of powerlessness and passive resistance. This paper aims at showing that both interpretations have solid biographical and textual grounds (hence the 'conundrum'), but argues that the second has become more relevant in the face of the present-day development of the technological society.