Paranoia In 1984

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The novel begins in April of 1984 in Oceania, one of the three totalitarian superpowers in post World War II Europe. The story follows Winston Smith, a disillusioned Outer Party member employed as a records editor at the Ministry of Truth. One day after work, Winston begins writing his heretic thoughts about the Party in a journal. If discovered, this journal will result in Winston’s execution for having unorthodox thoughts about the Party. At work, Winston becomes curious about a brunette girl that works as a machine operator in the Fiction Department. At first he fears that she is part of the Thought Police and knows about his treachery but his paranoia is subsided when she slips him a note that reads, “I love you”. Winston and Julia begin …show more content…
Winston and Julia are drawn to the Brotherhood because it goes against the Party and they decide to take the risk of outwardly combating the Party. Eventually, Winston makes contact with O’Brien, an Inner Party member who Winston believes is part of the Brotherhood, but is actually a member of the Thought Police. O’Brien arranges for Winston to get a copy of “the book”, Goldstein’s The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism, which supposedly explains the why and the how of the resistance. Unfortunately, Winston is captured by the Thought Police in the room above Mr. Charrington’s shop before he can figure out the why. Winston and Julia are then brought to the Ministry of Love, where Party criminals are tortured, interrogated, and “reintegrated” before they are released and ultimately executed. Winston is tortured endlessly until his hatred toward the Party and Big Brother becomes love. Later on, Winston is sent to Room 101 to face his biggest fear. Seconds away from having his face chewed by rats, Winston yells out “do it to Julia!” Winston’s reaction was the one O’Brien was looking for so he is excused from having rats gnaw at his

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