Winston reacts by, “[looking] up gratefully at O’Brien... his heart [seeming] to turn over” as Winston begins realizing that “he had never loved [O’Brien] so deeply as in this moment”(Orwell 252). What Orwell means when he writes that Winston looks up at O’Brien “gratefully” is that he was appreciative that O’Brien stopped making him feel the pain and torture that he was enduring and that he ended up making him feel better. Unfortunately for Winston, he is exhibiting signs that he is experiencing Stockholm Syndrome. It is clear that Winston is experiencing Stockholm Syndrome, because normally when someone is being tortured they don't feel this type of affection towards their abuser, they are scarred by them and mainly want nothing to do with them.
Winston conveys the clear message to beware of the ‘eyes’ of the party, enforcing the slogan “big brother is watching you. Winston promotes this awareness towards the other rebels of the party and general people to overall spread his knowledge and hopefully influence revolt. While
Big Brother- Big Brother is everywhere in Oceania coins, posters, and televisions. He haunts Winston’s life making him feel anger and
Winston on the other hand is older and much more mature, and he wishes to effect change for all. Winston does not want to slap Big Brother but rather wants to see him dead. Due to his old age he has experienced what it was like before Big Brother and wants it to go back to how it used to
O’Brien attacks Winston and calls him a “lunatic…. a minority of one.” O’Brien uses ad hominem and attacks Winston’s character, which has nothing to do with the argument. Next, O’Brien asks questions and makes statements like “you are no metaphysician…does the past exist concretely in space…where the past is still happening.” O’Brien makes a statement about Winston not being a philosopher of what is true and real, and then goes on to ask him questions about what is real and true.
O’Brien uses fear, scaring Winston into loving his government, Big Brother, and pushes him to break. In Orwell’s book, he states, “‘Room 101’ he said”... “‘Comrade! Officer!’ he cried.
Winston was never a devoted follower, constantly questioning the world around him. Even when in custody, Winston continued questioning motives and denouncing the Party and Big Brother, despite the futility. He knew no societal changes would result from his actions, but desperately wanted to share his ideas with someone, and since he was already being tortured, he was capable of speaking freely in the jail area. The purpose was to rid him of his rebellious mindset, and to do so, O’Brien needed to know everything Winston honestly thought in order to ‘correct’ it fully. For example, O’Brien forced Winston to recognize that whatever the Party said was true by holding up four fingers and saying there were five, “But there had been a moment- of luminous certainty, where each new suggestion of O’Brien’s had filled up a patch of emptiness and had become absolute truth, and when two and two could have been three as easily five, if that were what was needed (Orwell 258).
Big Brother is the embodiment of the Party.’ ‘Does he exist in the same way I exist?’ ‘You do not exist’” (Orwell 259). Here O’Brien deliberately ignores and misrepresents Winston’s question, and gives an even more confusing answer, but somehow wins the argument anyway.
It was not until O’Brien summoned Winston to Room 101, where he used the last string of hope Winston had—only able to function because of a vague feeling of trust—in order to finally and actually ostracize him. His initial “morbid self-isolation [comes] from shunning social contact due to anger toward the world,” (Diamond). When O’Brien speaks of essentially taking over the world through war and indoctrination as seen in the Ministry of Love, Winston simply refutes and expresses that alienation as such would eliminate the free will of mankind and is virtually impossible. The hope that Winston had for the Proles and the rest of humanity was obliterated time and time again with O’Brien’s torture. This repetitive destruction adds to the novels entirety as a desolate, dystopian novel.
Through the restrictions placed from the Party, the population of Oceania is forced into conforming. The cost of this is represented through Obrien explaining that there is a loss of beauty, of art, and no enjoyment of life. Individuality is shown through the development of Winston as a character. While meeting with Julia and expressing himself more, Winston becomes more of an individual rather than one of the other Party members. This initially has a positive affect on him, with the immediate increase in his health, however he eventually suffers deeply for it.
He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.” (Orwell 298). The only reason that Winston changed his mind was
Big brother is ruining a totalitarian government, which is also a form of socialist government. This style of government has a dictator and has little or no freedom. Winston sees that this government can do nothing but spells out bad news, it also do nothing for human rights. O’brien sees it as a way for big brother and the inner party to flex their power to the people of oceania. Winston understands all of the outcomes that their government has so thats why he is trying to stop it
Winston is defiant and rebels against Big Brother and the Party through various illegal actions. After purchasing an empty diary, he continuously wrote “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” when the telescreens were out of view (Orwell 21). This simple thought is considered to be a severe crime where Winston lives because it is direct disapproval towards the Party. Winston feels as if Big Brother is controlling every aspect of his life, so this rebellious action allows for him to vent his frustration.
O’Brien speaks in a kind and encouraging way; his words are encouraging in that he is pushing Winston to realize the how the Party has utter control over history and society itself. O’Brien explains that “[The Party controls] life, Winston, at all its levels. You are imagining that there is something called human nature which will be outraged by what we do and will turn against us” (Orwell 269). In reality, Winston is actually being unreasonable by not accepting that the Party has total control. O’Brien reveals his true identity as a friend by pushing Winston to accept this total control, justifying Winston’s torture to see five of O’Brien’s fingers instead of
Free will is considered to be the capacity to freely choose, think and act for any possible outcome and to not have our future predetermined. Free will, “…is the capacity to so choose or decide to act…” and accept that these “…actions are implemented in the world internally and externally” (Tse, P. 2013. p. 19-22). To be considered self determined is to ultimately accept free will and to distinguish multiple alternatives to each action, thought and decision (Watson, G. 2003 p.1-5).
