Sam Bodary Danny Sales Nathan Bare Adam Wolfe Bruzzese 6th period 1/6/12 Doublethink?

George Orwell once said, Freedom is the right to tell people what they dont want to hear. Freedom, according to this definition, is absolutely absent in his book 1984. The Party controls all thought and the Thought Police purge all dissenters of public opinion. The main character Winston struggles with society in this way, wanting to be rebellious and be a catalyst for change in the world. He ends up unable to have his own thought, instead succumbing to the doctrine of doublethink. This passage is a turning point in the novel and the literary methods the author uses to portray doublethink accurately demonstrate Winstons transformation from a rebel to a Big Brother lover. This passage is taken from one of Winstons interrogation scenes with OBrien. Before this passage occurs, Winston is captured in his secret room above the Proles shop by the Thought Police, and is brought to the Ministry of Love. Previous to this interrogation, OBriens methods had not affected Winstons mind or view of Big Brother at all, except that he wanted the torture to end. This is the first time that Winston ever experiences doublethink and realizes that his love for Big Brother is possible. This event foreshadows his ultimate downfall into loving Big Brother, and his eventual death.

This passage could not carry the same importance if it was not from this point of view. Doublethink is a way of life that cannot be seen with the naked eye. Because the book is written in third person limited from Winstons perspective, the reader has not seen the workings of doublethink firsthand up to this point. This passage accurately portrays the workings of doublethink in Winstons mind by allowing the reader to learn along with Winston what loyal party members see and understand on a daily basis. This demonstration of how doublethink works in the mind is paramount in the readers understanding of the concept and provides clarity to an unclear doctrine. The imagery in this section is integral to our understanding of doublethink. When OBrien is showing his hand to Winston, Orwell takes special care to specifically state that he does so with his thumb concealed. What Winston sees in his mind is a fleeting image of four fingers as five, with no deformity. Although he only sees this image for a brief period of time, Winston realizes for the first time that doublethink truly is possible. This shows how the party could be able to say that two plus two is five or four, thus filling a patch of emptiness in their victims. The images of this passage portray doublethink as being entirely true, with no doubt left in Winstons mind that it is possible. Several specific diction choices compliment Winstons warping perspective of reality. Winstons only dialogue is replying yes to OBriens questions. This is in stark contrast with his previous attempts to fight back and deny OBriens claims about Big Brother and doublethink. His one-word answers show his defeat and acceptance of the Partys viewpoint. He now has a new perspective of the absolute truth. This shows his

full understanding of doublethink. What the Party says is law and Winston absolutely accepts it. Orwells use of literary methods throughout the book conjure up the meaning of doublethink and are crucial to the turning point of the novel where doublethink is actually achieved by Winston. People in current times often have a hard time understanding how doublethink works, and Orwell helps clean up the idea through this passage. 1984 was written as a warning about what Orwell thought the future would hold, and the reason it is so challenging to understand the concept of doublethink is because his vision of the future has yet to hold true.