Week 6: 1984

      Week 6 on feelingsonbooks.com, Part III, and the final section of George Orwell's novel 1984 had me cringing as Winston was imprisoned for his opposition to the Party and his membership of the Brotherhood. I was curious at Winston's loss of awareness of where he was and what time it was. Whether it was day or night. Whether he had been imprisoned for a few hours, days or months. This section made me feel pity and compassion for Winston and the other prisoners he was housed within a filthy cell. It gave me a sad feeling of what it would be like to be locked up and unaware of what my future would be. The fear of seeing and hearing other people leave the cell before me and hearing them scream from fear and pain in the distance, not knowing what is being done to them and only waiting for your own turn to be taken. 

    The surprise came when Winston was finally taken and was strapped down to a bed and finding out that the person he thought was in charge of the Brotherhood was actually the one who was in control of the torture and the pain that was to come. O’Brian was the one who was part of the Party all along and responsible for his capture. The feeling of betrayal, but Winston felt that he knew that was going to happen. I couldn’t believe what was happening. O’Brian tortured and brainwashed poor Winston and starved him to make him change his thinking to what the Party and Big Brother said was the truth.  I feel Winston was scared and angry as he was tortured. He thought of Julia and never betrayed her to Big Brother. He tried to protect his beliefs even though torture was supposed to make him change his whole way of thinking. 

    My feelings while listening to this part of the novel were of helplessness, sadness, and yearning to rescue Winston from his cruel plight. My mind wondered if torture and brainwashing were something that war prisoners in our real-world experience. Violence, pain, fear, and unimaginable treatment. I don’t understand the kind of people who would think this way. How could someone think that being cruel and hateful like that? How could they think that hurting others be, OK? I guess I have been raised differently. I’ve been taught to be kind, to not hurt others as that is not acceptable behavior. I live in a world where I try not to be naive and yet still get shocked at the cruelty of others. Do you agree with the Party? Would you be able to be cruel, to be able to torture, brainwash others, or kill others because they think differently than you?