In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, a character named Winston Smith goes through
a painful, mind altering experience with tragic results. Winston is forced to
betray the woman he loves. From love and commitment to hate and deception,
Winston enters the road most traveled by the mighty characters of 1984. The
novel is a disturbing and twisting journey which is not realistic. Winston, the
protagonist, betrays his beliefs and one true love by accepting what the
all-powerful Big Brother and O’Brien have to say. As one can read the slogan
of Oceania they may understand the twisted ideas of this novel: WAR IS PEACE,
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH The novel 1984 revolves around a
nation known as Oceania. The book was written in 1949. Orwell transferred his
thoughts of the future and put it together in a novel. These disturbing thoughts
included a Party who controlled what you were doing at all times and what your
beliefs were. “Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four.”
(69) To the people of Oceania, believing in the truth of a simple equation is
freedom taken for granted. You were being watched when you woke up, during the
day, and as you were sleeping. “It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts
wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen” (54)
The Party, in which Winston is a member of, is currently forcing the use of an
invented language called Newspeak which prevents the possibility for political
rebellion by eliminating all words related to it. Thinking any type of
rebellious thoughts is illegal, this being thought crime is the worst crime of
all. Betrayal against the Party comes with it’s major consequences as Winston
soon realizes. Being rebellious is one of those acts that Winston loved to
portray. Not only did he illegally purchase a diary where he puts all of his
criminal thoughts , but he falls in love and has an intimate affair with a girl
named Julia. They met and made an instant connection. How could Winston ever
doubt his love for Julia? They thought nothing or no one could stand in between
their love. “If they could make me stop loving you, that would be the real
betrayal.” (137) Once the Party heard news of their affair they immediately
took Winston to the Ministry of Love where they began their torture on him.
Winston begins to learn that betrayal surrounds him. It seems that O’Brien was
a Party spy. He spends months torturing and brainwashing Winston until he
finally sends him to Room 101. “We burn all evil and all illusion out of him;
we bring him over to our side, not in appearance, but genuinely, heart and
soul.” (210) Room 101 is the room where one man enters but exits a changed
individual. Changed for the worst. In Room 101 Winston is controlled by
O’Brien where he is forced to change his beliefs. In this room you are struck
by the things you fear most. This is where betrayal takes part. Once you give in
to your fears you give in to all who are higher than you. In Winstons case, rats
were the main focus. Torturing Winston with a cage of rats helps to eventually
act on his fears but in the worst way, betrayal. “Do it to Julia! Do it to
Julia! Not me! Julia! I don’t care what you do to her. Tear her face off,
strip her to the bones. Not me! Julia! Not me!” (236) Tortured, scared, and
hopeless, Winston gave up. He gave up on Julia. Still having thoughts on Room
101, O’Brien eventually had Winston say the words that would be the ultimate
betrayal, admitting to loving Big Brother. O’Brien and Big Brother won. If
they could beat one mans beliefs, who knows how much control they have on all
the other individual Party members. Not seeing Julia in awhile, Winston wonders
how his feelings with Julia changed and if they hadn’t changed will they once
he sees her? Winston is finally encountered by Julia and surprisingly he feels
nothing towards her. The feelings that had been there before had changed ever
since Winston exitited Room 101. “’I betrayed you,’ she said badly. ‘I
betrayed you,’ he said.” (240) Both admitting to betraying eachother, their
love affair was over. If two lovers can both admit into betraying eachother it
is obvious that if their love does not end now, betrayal might take over. As
Julia notices, if you want unbearable pain to happen to the ones you supposively
love than you obviously don’t love them as much as you believe you do. Was it
betrayal that took over their love or was it the forces that changed them? That
question is one which Winston wishes not to ask himself. Maybe he wishes to
believe only what he is told since he left Room 101. Is loving Big Brother the
way Winston should except his beliefs? To Winston, that question doesn’t ever
cross his mind. He is confident with his decisions and is not ready to believe
other wise. He had truly crossed over. Over to the dark side. Why did he listen
to O’Brien? Why did he let his beliefs contradict with his own? Changing could
be a powerful and understanding thing but it depends on who you change into and
what your reasons of changing are. 1984 is conveyed as a novel of misleading
beliefs and acts of betrayal. One may not understand Winstons ways of betraying
his beliefs and Julia. Was it for himself or the Party? Turning against others
may be the result of your actions at the time. Depending on the person and what
they believe, only they themself can force the deception upon them. Yes,
unbearable forces can express ways of betrayal but it is only acting on those
expressive feelings to where betrayal is resulted. Winston and Julia did believe
that they loved eachother but was it love or was it a force that brought them
together in which this affection was expressed. Was it Winstons true beliefs or
was it the beliefs in which he was grown up to believe and respect. If one is
that truthful to such things as beliefs and love then no force can make them
change those thoughts. 1984 is a novel filled with hidden truth. One may wish to
believe such truth or one may wish to hide their beliefs for the sake of their
acted feelings.