1984

A detailed Summary of 1984

The novel 1984 deals with the nineteen thirties extremist views. These views were thought to be a prelude to what was to come in the year 1984. Firstly, the way in which O'Brien treats Winston leads to Winston's admiration and masochism for O'Brien. Secondly, O'Brien seduces Winston using temptation and false allusions. Moreover, a major part of this novel is psychological control through the methods of physical and emotional torture. Lastly, through false dreams O'Brien manipulates Winston into believing false realities. In George Orwell's 1984, O'Brien, as a figure of power, controls Winston psychologically to become his true manifestation of love.

Winston has disjointed feelings towards O'Brien, in that he loves being controlled by him and because of that control he admires him. Mason Harris believes that "Winston's fatal characteristic is not his talent sadism, but the stronger reverse side of his personality, his masochistic admiration for O'Brien" (40). He ends up finding himself admiring O'Brien in a masochistic manner, even though O'Brien's torturing is cruel and painful. This "masochistic admiration" leads to him trusting O'Brien to much even when he isn't sure of what O'Brien's feel

The use of temptation seems to trick Winston into thinking things that are surreal. O'Brien tricks Winston into thinking that he is trustworthy by creating a world of fallacies. Temptation as defined by Ruth Macklin: "offering people pleasures or goods they would like to have, but not so much that they can do nothing but accept" (166). This quote epitomizes the behavior of O'Brien to Winston. The way in which he does this is so discreet that it does not seem like he is pushing anything on Winston, but rather letting Winston do what he pleases. This mysterious way in which he carries himself makes him seem as if he does not care and that is what makes Winston think that maybe, just maybe, he could be a way out of the monotonous life style. "The temptation to masochistic submission to O'Brien remains in the background while Winston struggles to develop a sense of self, both through personal memory and his relationship with Julia" (Harris 41). Winston has a hard time deciding whether or not O'Brien is who he thinks he is. This dilemma is constantly bothering Winston even when he is with Julia. The biggest temptation of all is when Winston first realized that O'Brien might be able to help him. He wrote in his diary of how he was not sure of whether or not to trust O'Brien. Thoughts of O'Brien encompassed Winston's mind. When he finally decided to trust O'Brien he gave into the temptation and that ultimately destroyed him. "Do not imagine that you will save yourself, Winston, however completely surrender to us. No one who has once gone astray is ever spared" (Orwell 211). In this quote we can see that O'Brien is not only tempting Winston he is playing with his mind. O'Brien tells Winston that he can surrender to the Party and he will be saved , but if not then he will die. This is in someways a temptation, but also an ultimatum. Winston enjoys the torture so much that the thought of not giving in crosses his mind, however reality sets in and he then realizes that if he lets his passion for abuse out way his threshold for pain, he will die.

O'Brien's control over Winston and Winston's love for O'Brien leads to rebellion, torture, and changing Winston. O'Brien could be called the hero of this novel depending on what view point 1984 is read. If it is believed that Winston was wrong in rebelling or that he would be better off not worrying about Party views, the reader can thus conclude that O'Brien is the protagonist O'Brien's tempting and false allusions made it hard for Winston to ever even have a chance at joining the Brotherhood and rebelling against the Party. Ultimately, in O'Brien's quest for Winston's unconditional admiration his use of extreme torture and emotional degradation prove to be the most effective in creating the ideal Party member.

Subsequently, O'Brien's torturing Winston leads to his feelings blossoming even more towards him. After his capture, Winston is tortured, however, he does not seem to mind as much because he finds a sick pleasure from b

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Approximate Word count = 2030
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English