1984 Question
"The conspiracy that he had dreamed of did exist, and he had reached the outer edges of it." pg. 159
If O'Brien hadn't been a Thought Police for the Party and had actually been part of the Brotherhood how might the rest of the story differ?
If O'Brien hadn't been a Thought Police for the Party and had actually been part of the Brotherhood how might the rest of the story differ?
(no grade). The rest of the story might have been longer. It would have focused more on the struggles that Winston and Julia would ahve faced by being a part of the brotherhood. It would also have many close calls, as that is essential to have in this type of book. I think it would have been more interesting. It also could have had a better ending.
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ReplyDelete(No grade). The story could've differed in many different ways. O'Brian and Winston could've been successful with the revolution, or they could’ve failed. The way I would've seen it, I think Winston, O'Brian, and Julia would cause a riot throughout Oceania, causing a revolution to occur. Julia and Winston listened to what O'Brian said earlier in the book and they both said they would do anything for the revolution to occur, except for leaving each other. This shows their willingness to start a revolution and the courage they have. With O’Brian’s knowledge of the Party and Julia and Winston’s courage to start a revolution, I would believe there would’ve been a revolution if O’Brian didn’t betray Winston.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with both opinions. Even if O’Brien had been part of the Brotherhood instead of siding with the Thought Police, I firmly believe that it would’ve ended similarly: Winston and Julia’s short lived rebellion successfully squashed into compliancy. The author’s purpose and intent with this book was never to give the reader a happy ending; it was to demonstrate the cruel effects of a totalitarian society. George Orwell was writing during a time in which a totalitarian society was a completely viable option, and this book was a warning to the world as to the consequences if we gave in to the ruling powers currently knocking at our doors. This entire book, the story arc and character development, was fundamentally a “what not to do” manual. Filled with angry children, violent torture, and a twisted love story, 1984 makes sure to address every single thing that could go wrong. The ending, with a seemingly straightforward, “there is no hope” is often misinterpreted or deemed as a “bad” ending. But his true message, his call to action you could even call it, is not that. The book urges us to fight back with every emotionless, sparsely decorated sentence. Each downtrodden character advocates for the reader to never give up. It screams at us to wake up, look around and realize what’s happening before it’s too late. That’s why I think that the ending wouldn’t be changed, even if O’Brien was part of the Brotherhood. Something would’ve gone wrong towards the end, instilling a sense of failure within the reader, a wanting in their heart that will compel them to inspire change within their own lives.
ReplyDeleteSobering response. However, very perceptive.
DeleteYou make a good point, however I oppose your notion that the story would have ended in a similar way even if O’Brien had been part of the Brotherhood instead of siding with the Thought Police. I believe that if O’Brien had actually been part of the Brotherhood then maybe Winston and Julia could have survived longer. They would have probably had a lot of close calls but instead of it just being Winston and Julia they would have O’ Brien with them to help them last longer in their totalitarian society. What really frustrates me more than anything is that O’Brien deceived Winston into believing that he was part of the Brotherhood, not that Winston gives into loving Big Brother. I would have been more satisfied with the story if O’Brien had actually been part of the Brotherhood, that’s the only thing that I wished had been different about the story. I think that the story would still have the same message of “what not to do” in a totalitarian society even with O’Brien actually being in the Brotherhood.
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