Sunday, September 11, 2011

In "1984" can you explain Winston's Reintegration?

To put it simply, they broke him down, breaking his will and mind.  Through a very slow, drawn-out process of starvation, mind-control, physical abuse and violence, threats and drilled backwards-reasoning, Winston's power of reasoning, self-dignity, individuality and self worth were stripped from him.  What was left was a robotic shell that was the perfect vessel for Party propaganda and servitude.


O'Brien would come in and state illogical things like "2 plus 2 equals 5," and beat and argue with Winston, starving him and humiliating him until Winston admitted that that was indeed a true statement, and actually partially believed it himself.  Through this process, anything that made Winston an individual, or gave him a sense of identity, was taken away from him.  He holds on to one thing until the very end, and that is his love for Julia.  He clings to that, vowing that they can't take that away.  But, through the use  of playing on Winston's terror of rats, he ends up betraying her also, begging them to put her in his place for the torture.  After Winston gets out, he meets Julia and finds that she betrayed him too--it's what the Party does, and both of them, along with their entire society, has fallen victim to it.


Winston emerges an automaton, a perfect servant for the party, not only in body, but in mind and soul too.  I hope that those thoughts helped; good luck!

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