Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)
In the totalitarian world of 1984, Winston Smith lives a bleak and oppressive existence in Oceania, a superstate where every aspect of life is controlled by the Party and its omnipresent leader, Big Brother. Winston resides in London, now called Airstrip One, a province of Oceania. Surveillance is everywhere—telescreens, microphones, and informants ensure that no one can think or act against the Party without being caught by the Thought Police.
Winston works at the Ministry of Truth, where his job is to rewrite history. Every day, he alters past records, changing facts and deleting individuals from existence. The Party controls not just people’s actions but their very perception of reality. "Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past," the Party’s slogan states. Posters of Big Brother cover every wall, and giant telescreens broadcast propaganda, war updates, and public executions of traitors. The Party constantly reminds citizens that they are at war with either Eurasia or Eastasia, though alliances shift unpredictably, and history is rewritten to fit the narrative.
Despite appearing obedient, Winston harbors secret doubts about the Party. Unlike his co-worker Parsons, a blindly loyal citizen whose own children are trained to spy on him, Winston secretly rebels. He keeps a diary, writing down forbidden thoughts—an act of thoughtcrime punishable by death. He hides while writing, ensuring he is out of the telescreen’s view, but deep down, he knows it’s only a matter of time before he’s caught.
Winston’s life changes when Julia, a young and rebellious woman from the Fiction Department at the Ministry of Truth, discreetly hands him a note with just three words: "I love you." Shocked and thrilled, Winston finds a way to meet her in secret. They arrange a rendezvous in the countryside, away from the Party’s surveillance. Free from the prying eyes of telescreens, they share their true thoughts—they both despise the Party. They find solace in each other, not just in physical intimacy but in their shared defiance.
As their affair continues, Winston rents a room above a run-down pawn shop in the proletarian district, where Party surveillance is weaker. The room, owned by an elderly shopkeeper named Mr. Charrington, feels like a small sanctuary where they can live freely, even if only for a little while. Julia brings contraband goods—real coffee, sugar, and bread—all luxuries in their controlled society. For a brief moment, they create a life together, dreaming of a future without the Party’s control.
But their happiness is short-lived. One evening, as they lay in bed, the Thought Police storm the room. A hidden telescreen, concealed behind a picture on the wall, had been watching them all along. The shopkeeper, Mr. Charrington, is revealed to be a secret agent of the Thought Police. Winston and Julia are arrested, separated, and taken to the Ministry of Love—a place where prisoners are broken, not just punished.
Inside the Ministry of Love, Winston faces brutal interrogation and torture. The Party does not simply kill its enemies—it reprograms them. O’Brien, an Inner Party member whom Winston once believed to be part of the underground resistance, turns out to be loyal to the Party. He subjects Winston to psychological and physical torment, making him question everything he once believed.
O’Brien explains that power is not about ruling for the people’s good, but for the sake of power itself. The Party’s goal is absolute control, not just over actions but over thoughts and reality itself. Through doublethink, citizens must accept contradictions—"War is Peace," "Freedom is Slavery," "Ignorance is Strength." If the Party says 2+2=5, then it must be true.
Despite weeks of torture, Winston clings to his love for Julia and his belief that some truths are undeniable. But the final test awaits him in Room 101, the place where prisoners face their greatest fear. For Winston, this fear is rats. When a cage full of starving, shrieking rats is placed near his face, he breaks down completely. In his terror, he screams for them to torture Julia instead—betraying her in the deepest way possible.
This moment is Winston’s final surrender. The Party has not only broken his body but also his spirit. Once he betrays Julia, he loses all sense of self.
Eventually, Winston is released back into society, but he is no longer the same man. He spends his days at the Chestnut Tree Café, drinking Victory Gin, playing chess, and watching news reports. His rebellion is gone—his thoughts are empty, his emotions dulled. Julia, also broken, meets him one last time. They admit they betrayed each other, and the love they once had no longer exists.
One day, Winston sees a news broadcast about Oceania’s victory over Eurasia. He gazes at a poster of Big Brother and suddenly feels a deep love for him. Tears well in his eyes as he whispers, "I love you."
His independence is erased. His ability to think for himself is gone. Winston Smith, once a man who questioned reality, now believes only in Big Brother.
The Party has won.
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