1984

"And once- Winston could not remember whether it was in drugged sleep, or in normal sleep, or even in a moment of wakefulness- a voice murmured in his ear: 'Don't worry, Winston; you are in my keeping. For seven years I have watched over you. Now the turning point has come. I shall save you, I shall make you perfect.' He was not sure whether it was O'Brien's voice; but it was the same voice that had said to him, 'We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness,' in that other dream, seven years ago." (pg 201) Here it's as if O'Brien sees himself as Winston's savior. O'Brien is acting as if Winston is not perfect the way he is. The Party has the citizens so under control, that if someone does something the Party says is wrong, they are seen as not perfect. The only way O'Brien thinks he is able to make Winston "perfect" is by changing his beliefs by torturing him. Winston begins to agree with the ideas that O...

"For what evidence had he in reality that O'Brien was any kind of political conspirator? Nothing but a flash of the eyes and a single equivocal remark; beyond that, only his own secret imaginings, founded on a dream. He could not even fall back on the pretense that he had come to borrow the dictionary, because in that case Julia's presence was impossible to explain. As O'Brien passed the telescreen a thought seemed to strike him. He stopped, turned aside, and pressed a switch on the wall. There was a sharp snap. The voice had stopped." (139-140) O'Brien portrayed someone Winston always wanted or expected him to be. O'Brien gave Winston hope. He hopes O'Brien will be the person he expects him to be, that he even took the risk to go to his house along with Julia. Winston risks not only his life, but Julia's life by saying they are against the Party. After O'Brien explained "The Brotherhood" to Winston, he was ready to join. It was a q...

"Under the window somebody was singing...Whenever her mouth was not corked with clothes pegs she was singing in a powerful contralto: 'It was only an' opeless fancy, It passed like an Ipril dye, But a look an' a word an' the dreams they stirred They 'ave stolen my 'eart awye!'... But the woman sang so tunefully as to turn the dreadful rubbish into an almost pleasant sound." (114) The women's song was a sense of hope for Winston. He's tired of the Party, he wants to overthrow them. He's hoping for this change and he hopes it will happen soon. He focuses on the song and he's hopeful that one day the Party will be overthrown. He wants this all to end. This song reminded me of the song in the musical  Les Miserables  "Do You Hear the People Sing?". This song is sung in the song twice throughout the musical, making it a very powerful song in the movie to invoke the act of rebellion in the people. The song is sung by the cast ...

"In a low murmur Winston began speaking. Neither of them looked up; steadily they spooned the watery stuff into their mouths, and between spoonfuls exchanged the few necessary words in low expressionless voices. 'What time do you leave work?' 'Eighteen thirty.' 'Where can we meet?' 'Victory Square, near the monument.' 'It's full of telescreens.' 'It doesn't matter if there's a crowd.' 'Any signal?' 'No. Don't come up to me until you see me among a lot of people. And don't look at me. Just keep somewhere near me.' 'What time?' 'Nineteen hours.' 'All right.'" (94) This particular conversation in the book was very interesting to me because Julia and Winston were planning to meet up after Julia slipped Winston a note saying that she loved him. This conversation was unique to me because they made it seem like they weren't acknowledging each other even though they were ...

"Day by day and almost minute by minute the past was brought up to date. In this way every prediction made by the Party could be shown by documentary evidence to have been correct; nor was any item of news, or any expression of opinion, which conflicted with the needs of the moment, ever allowed to remain on record. All history was a palimpsest, scraped clean and reinscribed exactly as often as was necessary. In no case would it have been possible, once the deed was done, to prove fiction had taken place." (36-37) In the novel 1984, George Orwell describes a dystopian society; although most characters in the novel would say it's a utopian society. The characters in the book would believe it's a utopian society because everything they are told they believe. The characters don't know anything other than what they are told because all records are controlled to agree with everything the Party says. If a record makes the Party or Big Brother look bad, it is erased fr...