1984 Climax Essay

[Using the "Books and Coffee" edition of the book for page numbers] [Additional Note: I started with your Model paragraph to get an understanding of how to write the essay. Nonetheless, while I have retained the structure, I have tried to reduce the chirality to your original Frankenstein Essay.]

Once Winston betrays Julia in the Ministry of Love, the Thought Police, having cleansed him of any chance of rebellion, solidifies its control over his mind and spirit. Up until this point in the book, despite Winston's covert acts of defiance, such as his affair with a member of the "Junior Anti-Sex League" or his writings on overthrowing the party, he had maintained hope that he might retain his cover as a casual party member. But this final act of betrayal, to ask that Julia be tortured rather than him, triggered by the fear instilled in him by the party, plunges him into a state of complete surrender, a surrender wholly caused by the Party's all-powerfull-ness. Mr O'Brien, who had already swindled Winston into confessing his crimes, interprets Winston’s desperate cry, “Do it to Julia! Not me!” as a confirmation of the Party’s absolute power over the individual’s thoughts and emotions (273). Earlier in the novel, Winston had identified his silent resentment as a form of resistance. So when Winston first wrote in his diary, “freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two makes four,” presumably as an act of rebellion, he believed he could maintain some degree of autonomy (79). However, dominated by the Party, Winston suffers incredible decharacterization, illustrating how relentless oppression (and a little torture) can transform even the most rebellious and hopeful individual into a compliant, defeated subject.

Once Winston Smith betrays Julia in Room 101, the Party, having stripped him of any hope of personal rebellion, solidifies its unyielding control over his mind and spirit. Up until this point, despite Winston's covert acts of defiance, such as his secret affair with Julia and his musings on overthrowing the Party, he had maintained some flicker of hope that he might retain his humanity. But this final act of betrayal, triggered by the unbearable fear instilled by the Party, plunges him into a state of complete submission, a submission caused by the Party's omnipotence. O'Brien, who had already manipulated Winston into confessing his crimes, interprets Winston's desperate pleadings as a confirmation of the Party's absolute power over the individual's thoughts and emotions. Similarly, earlier in the novel, Winston had equated his silent resentment with a form of inner resistance. So, when Winston first wrote in his diary, presumably as an act of rebellion, he believed he could maintain some degree of autonomy. However, dominated thus, not just by O'Brien, but by the entire machinery of the Party, Winston suffers increasing dehumanization. This novel illustrates how an individual, originally holding onto the hope of freedom, is ultimately transformed into a loyal subject through relentless psychological manipulation.