Attributable to the difficulties some face during life, many feel the need to attach themselves to an idea that could temporarily help them feel better about the cruelty of reality. In On the Beach by Nevil Shute, 1984 by George Orwell, and Othello by William Shakespeare, the reoccurring theme of attachment reveals itself. Furthermore, due to tendencies in human nature, a person’s attachment and obsession to an idea such as power and want of control, can ultimately lead to their own personal destruction and self-demise.
In Nevil Shute’s On the Beach, Mary Holmes concerns herself with the idea of decorating her garden for the upcoming summer and future years, which will never come due to her impending death by radiation sickness. Mary says, …show more content…
Regardless of what Winston knows the Party wants to hear, he stays true to himself and his own belief, knowing the risk of pain he will have to endure. O’Brien and Winston talk, “How many fingers, Winston? Four! Four! What else can I say? Four!... How many fingers, please? Four! Five! Four! Anything you like. Only stop it, stop the pain!” (Orwell 250). Although Winston knows that his thoughts can ultimately kill him, he feels this overwhelming need to beat the Party and overthrow it. As a method of achieving power over the Party, Winston stays true to what he knows rather than what the Party tells him he knows. So, when asked by O’Brien, “how many fingers?” Winston answers with the correct number four, until the pain was becoming unbearable, at which point, Winston tells what he knows the Party wants to hear, rather than what he believes. Winston attaches himself to the idea of freedom, though he knows that dream proves impossible in their society. His attachment to freedom and the thought of free speech, though seemingly a natural human right, proves to destroy him in the end. He forces himself to believe in something, in the Party, which he previously despised; furthermore, destroying his personality, and leaving him with nothing to hope for. In both characters, Winston and Mary, the authors included the person’s lack of control over a situation. With Mary, it was her lack of control …show more content…
Moira says to Dwight, “I'll never have a family like Mary, she muttered. It's so unfair. Even if you took me to bed tonight I'd never have a family, because there wouldn't be time" (Shute 29). Moira, though always dreaming of and attaching herself to the idea of having a family with the perfect kids, perfect husband, and the perfect house, never had one. The years of imagining herself in the position with a family excited her so much that without achieving it, she was left devastated. Mostly, Moira felt unimpressed and disappointed with her own life that drinking and partying became her new source of distraction. By the time she met Dwight, life was too far gone, and the end was near, not to mention his loyalty to his wife back home. Because of her attachment to a dream that would never be, Moira ends up dying alone with a bottle of brandy by her side and the love of her life, Dwight, below her in his sunken ship. Her last moment reflected the unattainable but desired idea of starting a family of her
In Nevil Shute’s On the Beach, Mary Holmes concerns herself with the idea of decorating her garden for the upcoming summer and future years, which will never come due to her impending death by radiation sickness. Mary says, …show more content…
Regardless of what Winston knows the Party wants to hear, he stays true to himself and his own belief, knowing the risk of pain he will have to endure. O’Brien and Winston talk, “How many fingers, Winston? Four! Four! What else can I say? Four!... How many fingers, please? Four! Five! Four! Anything you like. Only stop it, stop the pain!” (Orwell 250). Although Winston knows that his thoughts can ultimately kill him, he feels this overwhelming need to beat the Party and overthrow it. As a method of achieving power over the Party, Winston stays true to what he knows rather than what the Party tells him he knows. So, when asked by O’Brien, “how many fingers?” Winston answers with the correct number four, until the pain was becoming unbearable, at which point, Winston tells what he knows the Party wants to hear, rather than what he believes. Winston attaches himself to the idea of freedom, though he knows that dream proves impossible in their society. His attachment to freedom and the thought of free speech, though seemingly a natural human right, proves to destroy him in the end. He forces himself to believe in something, in the Party, which he previously despised; furthermore, destroying his personality, and leaving him with nothing to hope for. In both characters, Winston and Mary, the authors included the person’s lack of control over a situation. With Mary, it was her lack of control …show more content…
Moira says to Dwight, “I'll never have a family like Mary, she muttered. It's so unfair. Even if you took me to bed tonight I'd never have a family, because there wouldn't be time" (Shute 29). Moira, though always dreaming of and attaching herself to the idea of having a family with the perfect kids, perfect husband, and the perfect house, never had one. The years of imagining herself in the position with a family excited her so much that without achieving it, she was left devastated. Mostly, Moira felt unimpressed and disappointed with her own life that drinking and partying became her new source of distraction. By the time she met Dwight, life was too far gone, and the end was near, not to mention his loyalty to his wife back home. Because of her attachment to a dream that would never be, Moira ends up dying alone with a bottle of brandy by her side and the love of her life, Dwight, below her in his sunken ship. Her last moment reflected the unattainable but desired idea of starting a family of her