Winston's Power In 1984 By George Orwell

Having the ability to command someone into believing yours ideals is a very powerful feat. In the novel 1984, written by George Orwell, as society exists in which history is constantly changing and every individual is always being watched. The government, or Inner Party, has the ability to change the beliefs of everyone around them, making them believe that whatever is happening is for the best of society and conditions are always improving. The main character Winston, sees what is happening and questions the Inner Party, but can never reveal his thoughts out of fear of being arrested for thoughtcrime. O’Brien, a member of the Inner Party, becomes one of the few people Winston initially trusts to share his feelings about the party with. Yet,

“He knew that sooner or later he would obey O’Brien’s summons.” (Orwell 159). The use of the word summons shows the power that O’Brien has over Winston, yet in a strangely satisfactory way. Although the words used give off quite a negative feel, Winston is happy, if not silently ecstatic that he finally gets to meet with this mysterious man. Winston is glad to do anything thing that O’Brien wishes of him, and O’Brien uses that to his advantage. “‘Yes, everything is turned off. We are alone.’” (Orwell 169). Literally speaking, O’Brien has much more power as a member of the Inner Party than the other majority of the population. He uses this power to gain trust from Winston. He gives Winston the environment to speak freely, allowing the relationship between the two to strengthen into one where Winston looks up to O’Brien as a type of leader or mentor. “‘You will have heard rumors of the existence of the Brotherhood...We can only spread our knowledge outwards from individual to individual, generation after generation.’” (Orwell 175-176). O’Brien gives Winston all of the information that he has desired. Whether it be true or not, O’Brien has him in exactly the right position. Winston becomes a follower of sorts underneath O’Brien, in which he can be fed any and all information that O’Brien deems necessary to further his master plan. Overall,

“‘You knew this, Winston,’ said O’Brien. ‘Don’t deceive yourself. You did know it--you have always known it.’” (Orwell 239). This is when the real O’Brien is revealed. He makes Winston feel like nothing for ever thinking that he was anything other than the person who is presently standing in front of him. That is the power that not only O’Brien, but also the Inner Party has over people. O’Brien, for the first time, makes Winston firmly believe in something that has been told to him by an active Inner Party member. The genius behind this is that Winston has yet to realize that this act has been happening for much longer than he could ever imagine. “It was O’Brien who was directing everything...He was the tormentor, he was the protector, he was the inquisitor, he was the friend.” (Orwell 243-244). O’Brien takes on all positions that are surrounding Winston. It becomes his project to turn Winston into a good party member. He is acting in ways that Winston has been aware of throughout the entire novel, but doing these reprogramming sequences in a way that Winston obviously has never seen before. The power that O’Brien has over Winston at this point is unfathomable, simply due to the fact that O’Brien has clearly betrayed Winston, yet still is acting in a way that shows he is doing what is in Winston’s best interest. He