Summary+of+1984

Winston Smith, the main character in __1984,__ knows the world was not always like this. He lives in a totalitarian society where the government owns everything. There are telescreens everywhere in Oceania ( the country he lives in) watching everything you do. The house he lives in smells of cabbage but there is a nook where the telescreen can’t see him. This is very unusual and no one else has this. The party’s goal is to control everything and they live by 3 slogans: WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, and IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH. Oceania is very different from the society that we live in today. Newspeak, the official language of Oceania, is the only language which actually decreases in size every year. There is a daily activity in which all members of the inner and outer party participate in called Two Minutes Hate. Two minute hates is an activity in which they show Emanuel Goldstein and all the party member s yell and shout derogatory sayings at him. They do this because he was considered a terrorist against the party and got caught. In Oceania there police are called Thought Police. These officers catch people who have bad thoughts against the party. Children in this society are different; they are told to tell on their parents’ who are against the party these children are called child heroes. In this world there are three superpowers: Oceania, Eastasia and Eurasia. Oceania is always at war with one of these superpowers. The only real purpose is to control more land. Winston works at the Ministry Of Truth. His job is to take books, stories, or newspapers and rewrite them to brainwash the people with the party’s ideas. Winston has an idea to rent Mr. Charringtons room. He wants to do this because his room does not have a telescreen in the room. At work one day Winston runs into a girl and thinks she is a member of the Thought Police. She ends up slipping a piece of paper into his pocket that says ,“I Love You.” Even though Winston does not know if this is part of a set up, he decides to meet with her and see if this is for real. When they meet Winston realizes she is like he is: against the party. Julia believes that if one is to go with the party no one would expect that you are against it. Julia does many things against the party’s will. She likes to have sex for fun while the party believes the only purpose of sex is to have babies. She also commits thoughtcrime pretty often. Winston and Julia are beginning to fall in love but their love has to be hidden since the party arranges your marriage, and when they are together they commit many crimes. At work Winston suspects a man named O’Brien is a part of a Brotherhood against the party and would like to get involved if one exists. O’Brien approaches him one day and tells Winston that he should come to his house and pick up the 11th edition of Newspeak Dictionary to help him with his work. Winston and Julia decide to go to O’Briens apartment and figure out if he is part of the Brotherhood. O’Briens apartment is different from others it is a nicer apartment, does not smell of cabbage, and the big difference is that he can turn his telescreen off. O’Brien tells them of this Brotherhood and invites them to join. He asks them a series of questions on what they are willing to do for the Brotherhood. The one thing that neither Winston or Julia are willing to do is break up with each other in order conceal their part in the brotherhood. All Brotherhood members avoid contact with each other in order to keep the brotherhood alive, and one person getting caught cannot bring down the whole organization. Winston and Julia leave the apartment and get directions on how Winston will end up getting a copy of Goldsteins book. Winston is giving the book in a suitcase but will not be able to read it until he is in a secure and hidden location. He and Julia decide to go to Mr. Charrington’s apartment to look at it and discuss it. While reading the book Winston says, “We are the dead.” Julia repeats it. Then all of a sudden, out of no place a voice says, “you are the dead.” A painting drops down from the wall and a telescreen appears. They just realized they are caught. Thought Police come in and so does Mr. Charrington. He was with the party the whole time and was a traitor against them. Mr. Charrington ends up taking Winston to the Ministry Of Love which in other words is a prison. Everyone in the prison is afraid of one thing: “Room 101.” It is unknown what is in this room but people are willing to do anything in order to avoid going into this room including giving up their children. Winston said he is willing to double his pain in order to save Julia. While in prison, Winston is beaten and starved. O’Brien then walks in and ends up being a member of the Thought Police. O’Brien betrayed him and the whole thing was a setup. O’Brien states the reason they bring people to the Ministry of Love is to cure people. O’Brien tortures Winston by shocking him. There are three stages in Winston's reintegation to be cured: learning, understanding, and accepting. Winston has yet to accept the party and will not be able to leave until he does. Winston then finds out that O’Brien was the one who wrote Goldstein's book and the only reason the party seeks power is to have power. Winston has yet to go to Room 101 but when he says that he hates big brother O’Brien has no choice but to send him there. Room 101 is Winstons biggest fear: rats. To be released from Room 101, Winston needs to betray Julia. He does this and is then released. When he is out, he ends up meeting Julia again, and when they meet they both admit to each other that they have betrayed each other. He ends up getting a new job in a committee that deals with the 11th edition of Newspeak. Winston finally ends up accepting the party and loves Big Brother.