Examples Of Stockholm Syndrome In 1984 By George Orwell

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Stockholm Syndrome in 1984 George Orwell's novel, 1984, is a dystopian novel in which the protagonist Winston had undergone numerous traumatic things while in room 101. The trauma led to him experiencing some sort of Stockholm Syndrome. Stockholm syndrome is a “condition which causes hostages to develop a psychological alliance with their captors as a survival strategy during captivity.” ( The Sociological Quarterly & International Feminist Journal of Politics). As Winston undergoes his routine torture in room 101, he begins to confuse his feelings toward O’Brien about love While in room 101 Winston underwent his greatest fear: a cage of furious, hungry-looking rats. In Oceania, rats represent, “whatever deepest fear lurks inside a person's heart” in this case the rats were Winston's deepest fear. To illustrate, O’Brien finally stops the pain he inflicts on Winston during one of his …show more content…

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. Further, Winston, “ had the feeling that O’Brien was his protector, that the pain was something that came from outside, from some other source, and that it was O’Brien who would