Reaction to Part One of "1984"

            Part one of “1984” by George Orwell has been an interesting read, as Winston’s character is progressively changing around the horrible lives of the people of London.  Most interesting is Winston’s internal struggle.  He is torn between giving in and accepting a life of falseness in which the government sabotages the minds of its citizens, or breaking loose and recognizing that Big Brother, the Party, and the Thought Police are hindering civilization.  I hope that Winston will continue his research of the past, and that he can somehow will the Proles to rebel against civilization, because “Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious” (73). 

            In the beginning of the reading, we first see Winston show signs of mixed emotions during a “two minutes hate,” in which the citizens riot and scream at a picture of Goldstein.  “Thus, at one moment Winston’s hatred was not turned against Goldstein at all, but, on the contrary, against Big Brother, the Party, and the Thought Police” (15).  Winston soon begins writing freely in a notebook, another rebellious move that the Party would surely punish him for doing.  Eventually, he begins forming his own conclusions, for example, “the past, he reflected, had not merely been altered, it had been actually destroyed. For how could you establish even the most obvious facts when there existed no record outside your own memory?” (37).  We also see the ineffectiveness of this government on page 50, when “At any given moment there was some necessary article which the Party shops were unable to supply.”

            Orwell is perfectly describing a government in which the people are being controlled, and they are completely ignorant of the situation.  It is interesting how so many people can be brainwashed, even to the point where “The only recognized purpose of marriage was to beget children for the service of the Party”, and even Winston’s own wife thought of sex as a duty.  Still, I like how Winston is becoming so interested in antiques such as coral paperholders, and even contemplates living in the attic of the old man’s shop because it gives him the idea of being free. Maybe Winston will be able to spread his influence to other people around him, and continue to learn about the past that the Party works so hard to destroy.