Joshua Rocha

Period 0

1984

Chapter 1, Parts 1- 8

The book starts off by introducing the main protagonist, Winston Smith, who lives in an
apartment in London which he describes as a “cold world,” constantly being monitored by a tele-
screen which the Thought Police uses to oversee everyone’s activities. From his home he can see
the Ministry of Truth, which concerns itself with news, entertainment and the like, the Ministry
of Peace, which is involved with war, the Ministry of Love, which maintains law and order, and
the Ministry of Plenty, which is involved with economic affairs. Winston then sees a show called
Two Minutes of Hate, featuring a man named Goldstein who utter speeches regarding matter
such as freedom and the awfulness of the Party, and starts to think about Goldstein and his
message, fearing he has just committed Thoughtcrime. Thinking he’s about to get arrested,
Winston is relieved to find out it’s only his neighbor, Mrs. Parsons, wanting to know if he could
come fix their kitchen sink. Winston goes only to be disgusted by the filth of the place and her
savage children. Back at his apartment, he writes on his diary but scrubs the ink off his hands to
make sure no one knows he’s been writing, and heads back to work. He thinks about the past
alliances and wars his country has fought, sees some discrepancies and begins to wonder that if
the Party can actually change the past and invent it as they go along. At lunch he sees his friend
Syme, and he begins to wonder, again, if things had always been this way. He’s a little unnerved
to notice a dark haired girl looking at him. She sat behind him yesterday at the Two Minute Hate,
but he can’t figure out why. As Winston writes his next entry in his diary, he remembers a time
two years ago when he went with a prostitute, which is forbidden by the Party which then leads
him to memories of his wife, Katherine, whom he’s been separated from for years. He realizes
that if there is to be any kind of revolution from the Party, it must come from the proles. He spots
an old man entering a bar, and decides to follow him in and see if he can ask him about the old
days, if things used to be different. The old man can’t tell him anything useful, however. His
memory is nothing but tiny details, and he can’t seem to tell Winston if life was better before the
Revolution or not. As he’s walking home, thinking about the odd, cozy shop and the kindly
owner, his heart stops when he sees the dark-haired girl from the Fiction Department at his work.
He knows now that she’s spying on him, and he quickly turns around and loses her.

Quote:

“All marriages between Party members had to be approved by a committee appointed for the
purpose and though the principle was never clearly stated—permission was always refused if the
couple gave the impression of being physically attracted to each other”

Chapter 1, page 57

The Party is required to suppress the emotions of its citizens, as they believe that emotions other
than that of anger and self-debasement are “harmful” to society. Love and happiness, for
example, exhibit free thought and individuality.

I think the setting of the story in the first chapter sets up the novel quite well. The cold, grey
atmosphere of London adds up to how society operates in a dystopian structure of government.
Ubiquitous oversight from the Party and Big Brother destroys every single shred of individuality
people hold in Oceania. However, Winston stands out through small steps in rebellion and
conspiring against the Party.

Questions:

Who is Winston Smith?

What are and what does the three Insoc phrases mean?

What does Winston’s diary represent? Does his act of keeping the said diary symbolize
anything?
Chapter 2, Parts 1- 10

Winston is walking towards the lavatory at work when he passes the dark haired girl. She trips
and falls right in front of him; her arm is obviously in pain, so he helps her up and she slips
something into his hand and walks back down the hall. Winston waits at his cubicle before
opening the message, which says, “I love you”. That night he decides the only way he can
possibly get in touch with her safely is at the canteen, during lunch. Finally, one day she’s at a
table alone. In very low voices they decide to meet in Victory Square that evening. As they talk
together he finds out her name is Julia, and that she hates the Party. Winston waits for Julia in the
cozy room above the antique shop. Winston begins to realize that he’s in better health since he
met Julia than he’s been in his whole life. He’s stopped drinking, his ulcer and his cough have
gone away, and the whole process of life has stopped being an intolerable burden. For the first
time ever, he wants to live. O’Brian starts to talk to Winston. He communicates to Winston in
ways the tele-screens wouldn’t pick up as being suspicious. He is able to let Winston know his
address in a legal way, and lets him know that if he wants to come talk. As he talks with Julia he
tells her that although they’re certain to be caught, tortured and killed, it won’t stop him from
loving her. O’Brian begins to question them about how far they are prepared to go to help the
Brotherhood. Winston answers all his questions honestly, saying that he will commit murder,
steal, or do anything else that is required of him, but that he and Julia will not separate. The
Records Department is given a whole day off and Winston is on his way to their secret room. A
member of the Brotherhood has slipped him a copy of the book. It begins by saying that the 3
superstates that are now in existence, Oceania, Eastasia, and Eurasia, have nothing really to fight
about anymore. Suddenly, a voice speaks, telling them to stand in the middle of the room and not
move until they are ordered. As the soldiers come upstairs they carry off Julia. Mr. Charrington,
the old man who owns the shop and has been renting them the room, comes upstairs as well.
Winston knows that he is a member of the Thought Police.
Quote

“We, the Party, control all records, and we control all memories. Then we control the past, do
we not?”

Chapter 2, pg. 207

The party’s overpowered power (?) over its people can be shown through this quote, which
generally outlines how a slight change in history can alter the minds of the masses. Who are the
people to know if the history they have been taught has been tampered with?

I’ve always wondered if acts like this from the government are exclusive to totalitarian regimes.
Is it possible to have government “brainwashing” in a nation such as the United States?

Questions:

Who is Julia?

What simile was used to place Julia's coarse remarks about the Inner Party?

What was Goldstein’s final message?

Chapter 3, Parts 1 – 6

Winston has no idea where he is, or how long he’s been in captivity. He hardly thinks of Julia in
his cell. His thoughts turn more often to O’Brian. Winston hears about room 101, but has no idea
what it is. O’Brian walks in, they hit Winston, and everything goes black. Winston is being
tortured and O’Brian won’t stop until he thinks that anything the Party says is the truth, or in his
words, Winston must be sane or destroyed. After an indefinite amount of time, the cell he’s in
now is slightly better than the one he was in. He’s gaining weight, and is able to wash frequently.
He’s given a tablet to write on, and he scribbles “Freedom is Slavery” on it. He tells O’Brian that
he hates Big Brother, and O’Brian nods. He knows, and sends him to room 101. The worst thing
in the world, O’Brian says, is different for every person. For Winston, it is rats, and that’s just
what is brought in to him. O’Brian says that they will eat him alive. He knows that only one
thing will save him, and he gives her up. He screams to O’Brian to let the rats loose upon Julia,
but not on him.

Winston is at a cafe, listening to the tele-screen and not thinking much of anything. He comes to
the café often, having plenty of money and a good job since they released him. He loves Big
Brother, and knows he has won a hard victory over himself. He is “cured”.

Quote

“The time has come for you to take the last step. You must love Big Brother. It is not enough to
obey him, you must love him.”

Chapter 3, page 233

Can a person be forced to love something through torture? I’m wondering whether or not
Winston really loves Big Brother after relentlessly being tortured by O’Brian just to make him
stop. I also think that Orwell (might be) picturing Big Brother as a religious figure: you must
obey him, you must follow him and most importantly, you must love him. Not to mention that
Big Brother is everywhere (through tele-screens), as Christians also believe that God is
everywhere.

Questions

How many telescreens were in Winston's cell?

What was O'Brien's view of a proletarian rebellion?

What made Winston betray Julia?