This is the start of chapter 7 it starts of with Winston waking up from what it seems either a very emotional dream or scary. Winston dreams about his past, about his family more specific about his mother. Winston's beliefs of his mother death has always been death by his own hands. But his dreams says other wise. I feel that the Party has taken those memories away from him. The reason behind that action might be that the Party doesn't want him to feel any type of strong emotions, but not just him its all its citizens. Having a scenario were you kill your own mother is way stronger than when a person dies. People die all the time, so inserting that idea into Winston will make it easier for the Party to control. It takes its humanity. That is why the proles are a huge threat to the Party. They have their humanity, they have the will to think clearly without anything being erase or substitute.
"You can turn it off!" he said.
"'Yes," said O'Brien, "we can turn it off. We have the privileges."(140)
In this scene Julia and Winston have gone to who they believe belongs to an organization named the Brotherhood. The Brotherhood is a secret, anti-government organization who's belief to be led by Emmanuel Goldstein. The goal of this organization is to expose and bring the Party down to it's feet (or so is believe). Julia and Winston go to O'Brien so they can join the Brotherhood. O'Brien here turns of the telescreen and Julia and Winston are surprised that he did. They are aware that through the telescreen the Party is able to monitor them. When O'Brien turns of the telescreen he gives Winston and Julia yet another reason why they should trust him.
I actually really like the topic of turning off telescreens because it is so odd in Oceania. Slight spoilers ahead, just in case anyone reads this.
ReplyDeleteI think it is interesting that you say that O'Brien turning off the telescreen, because to me, that was a huge hint that O'Brien could in no way be trusted. When Winston reads the book of the Brotherhood, he learns that Inner Party members are watched more closely than anyone else in Oceania. They are constantly under surveillance and their opinions are judged much more harshly because their complete allegiance to the Party and Big Brother is so central to keeping the social hierarchy. If that is the case, it makes no sense that O'Brien, an Inner Party member, should be able to turn off his telescreen at all, which is one of the Party's main points of surveillance. This piece of information seems to clearly out O'Brien as a spy, especially because if O'Brien really was a member of the Brotherhood, he would know how incriminating it would be to disappear for a full half hour, or even interact with Winston on the street about meeting in his house. Winston himself probably should have noticed the moment he read that passage in the book.
Hello Guillermo. Your first picture is very funny to me. There's just something about his face and the position that he's in that makes me want to laugh every time I see the picture. I liked the second quote that you chose. It was nice to have some background before I got to your analysis. What I find confusing is how Winston and Julia trusted O'Brien even more after he turned off the telescreen. If I was in that situation I would assume that O'Brien was a part of the thoughtpolice because he had the courage to turn it off. If he was actually a part of the Brotherhood, do you think there is a way for the thoughtpolice to know if the telescreen has been turned off? Anyhow, I really enjoyed this week's post.
ReplyDeleteGreat job on you blog, your points about the confusion with his emotions about his mother's death is interesting. It is known that the Party doesn't want the citizens to have power over the emotions so your point definitely makes a lot of sense. The whole quote about the Brotherhood was interesting as well because it was very suspicious how O'Brien is acting.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read that part in the book about Winston's dream, I didn't think about how the Party might have taken those memories away from him. I thought about his emotions a lot while reading that part though and I am glad you talked about them. Thanks for opening my eyes.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the fact that by creating much more harsh memories like "the killing of his mother by his own hands" being a way to have more power over not Winston's emotions but all of their citizens.
ReplyDelete