At the beginning of the
novel I found myself wondering why Winston was different from other
people. Winston was rejecting Big
Brother and society right in the first chapter by buying, and then writing in
the diary. He does these things, knowing
that he will eventually be caught and most likely killed by the thought police,
that there is no possibility of him getting away.
We hear about how there
are always people disappearing, being taken in the middle of the night by the
thought police and never being seen again.
Winston predicts that his acquaintance from work, Syme, will eventually
become a target of the thought police.
Syme’s only crime will have been that he was too intelligent, too aware
of what was happening in the party for him to stay in favor. If Syme is so intelligent why does he not see
the flaws in Oceania. Winston is the
only person we see rejecting Big Brother, and having negative feelings toward
the government.
How is Winston
different? Why is he the only one who
notices the issues with the way things are being run? And if there are in fact others who notice
these problems, why has no one tried to do something?
I don't know if he's the only one, because the society is so closed that he can't ever know if he's alone. In fact, I guess he's not alone, as Julia shares his dislike for the party. There may be more unrest than we know. In addition, the society seems pretty adept at controlling the thoughts and actions of its members, which may deter people from exhibiting or even entertaining negative thoughts about the Party.
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