1984 Essay Physical Mental Changes

1984 Essay

People have changes that occur to them all the time whether they are physical or mental changes. These changes can be for better or worse. Changes are a result of an experience faced by one. 1984 is a book all about changes and that occur and how people react or transform from these changes. Winston is a different type of person from who he is after his pivotal experience. Winston changes from a rebel who is trying to find a way to destroy the government to a person who loves the government. This change is a direct effect of Winston’s pivotal experience. In the beginning of the book Winston Smith is an average man of his time that goes to work and, lives in a house with a telescreen, and can only do what Big Brother allows him to do. It is evident that Winston has suspicion toward Big Brother and the government. Orwell reveals Winston’s feelings towards Big Brother while he is in his workplace in the Ministry of Truth. “His pen had slid voluptuously over the smooth paper, printing in large neat capitals DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER…. Over and over again filling half a page.” (19). This shows that Winston wants the government to be overthrown right away, and to write something like this in his workplace is a big risk , but he does it anyway. Winston is trying to find out the truth behind Big Brother and the government. After this event Winston begins to commit more though crime to rebel against the government and find the truth. He commits thought crime by writing in a diary which he hopes one day will be read by others that feel the same way. He is hoping for more people to feel the same way so they can join together and take down the government. He has cryptic encounters with a man that works with him, O’Brien a member of the inner party. “We want to join it (Brotherhood) and work for it. We are enemies of the Party. We are thought criminals.” (140) This is said by Winston to O’Brien when they are discussing the Brotherhood and the government. By this statement it is positive that Winston wants to take down Big Brother. Winston while all of these events are occurring meets a girl named Julia who is also a rebel but only from the waist down as referred to by Winston. Winston and Julia rebel against the government together and feel as if they are in their own world when they are together. They usually got together in a room on the top floor of Mr. Charrington’s shop. Eventually Winston and Julia get caught by the though police for being together on top of Mr. Charrington’s shop. They get caught by the leader of the thought police who is Mr. Charrington. When they are captured they get sent to the Ministry of Love where they will be “cured”. This is the event that will change Winston as a person. In the Ministry of Love Winston finds out that his torturer is O’Brien who is also part of the government. Winston also finds out that his friends Parsons and Ampleforth are in there as well. He comes to the conclusion that anybody can be taken by the government no matter how unlikely it may seem. Winston though while still in the Ministry of Love still doesn’t believe in Big Brother, This is evident in the conversation between Winston and O’Brien in the jail cell. “Tell me, what are your true feelings toward Big Brother?” “I hate him” (232). This shows that even though Winston has been tortured he still holds strong to his beliefs. This forces O‘Brien to take Winston to room 101 where the worst thing in the world was held. In Winston’s case it was torture using rats. All this torture is to “cure” Winston or get him to take his old thoughts out of his mind to bring in new thoughts with love for Big Brother. After Winston’s experience with the Ministry of Love he changes for best for himself, but the worse for the society. In the end Winston ends up betraying Julia saying that he’d rather have Julia be tortured than him. This is a change that is bad for the society, because now Winston has no hope or motivation to find out the truth behind Big Brother or over throw the government. He is also changed so that all his thoughts of his diary and about Big Brother and the government are taken out of his mind. O’Brien was the ancillary to the changing thoughts of Winston. The torture, which makes Winston seem as though he is a pliable man, causes him to go along with everything the government is saying and agree to obey by their rules. If he does not he will again be tortured or even killed. The last change that occurs to Winston is that he ends up loving Big Brother this is seen when he sees a picture of Big Brother on his telescreen and smiles with joy. One can see that Winston goes through a complete change from the beginning of the book where he is totally against Big Brother until he goes through an experience that completely transforms Winston in the end of the book. This shows what kind of society can be made when the government controls everything, even peoples minds.