How Does Winston Present The Past In 1984

In 1984, written by George Orwell, the past is seen or portrayed to be a very crucial part of the understanding of the novel. A few examples that illustrate this theme of the past are Winston's job as a records editor at the Ministry of Truth, O'Brien destroying the photograph of three one-time party members, and the use of Telescreens. Winston's occupation entails the destruction of past records, which solidifies the theme of purging the past in the novel. One example of this is demonstrated when Winston is describing the Records Department. He says, “the records department, after all, was itself only a single branch of the Ministry of Truth, whose primary job was not to reconstruct the past but to supply the citizens of Oceania with newspapers, films, textbooks, Telescreen programs, plays, novels- with every conceivable kind of information.” This displays that Winston's role as a records editor is crucial to the function of The Party and plays an important role in the theme of the novel. Another example of this is shown when three messages slid out of the pneumatic tube while Winston was working, but he disposed of them and went back to work as if nothing had ever happened. This shows the

During Winston's experience of torture, O'Brien shows him a photograph of three one-time party members at a party function in New York. Once Winston sees the photograph, O'Brien tosses it down the memory hole, otherwise known as a trash chute. “Ashes, not even identifiable ashes. Dust. It does not exist. It never existed.” This shows the power of doublethink and how it can change the past. By O'Brien getting Winston to truly forget the picture, and forget that he had forgotten, he is able to change the past. This is a critical point to the novel's theme considering O'Brien represents the whole party. He shows the reader the inner parts of The Party and reveals all of its contradictions and