Winston Smith Needs OBrien Essay Example for Free

Winston Smith Needs OBrien Essay In the novel 1984 George Orwell pictures a monstrous world of tyranny. One of the themes he explores deals with the way an individual perceives his life in such a world. In the world in 1984 loneliness meets despair, hatred allies with brutality, and one has no choice but to find a way out of that nightmare in order to survive. Winston Smith, the main character, chooses self-delusion as an escape from the horrible reality. In the beginning OBrien is just an object of Winstons attempt to believe that there is someone like him, another man who is surreptitiously against the Party. Smith thinks that OBrien will understand him and help him change his life. Ironically, OBrien really saves Winston from the nightmare of reality, by making him accept it and even love it. Winston Smith is a concealed outcast. He behaves as a Party member while hating the principles and doctrines of the Party. In his consciousness Smith is alone against society a thinking individual facing a deceived mass of people who (za mass may e that ama ne sam ubedena)blindly love the(misliq che ne trqbva da go ima izob6to) Big Brother. Winston realizes that to be an outsider in a world in which individuality is a crime is dangerous. He asks himself if he is alone in the possession of memory because he does not want to believe that everybody is deluded, that all the people like to be controlled by the Party (Orwell p. 62). Even in the age of solitude there must be other intelligent men (Orwell p. 30) Only an intelligent person can understand that sometimes the majority in the face of society might be wrong. Winston, being a concealed outcast, feels lonely. He is longing for a soul mate, a friend, someone who would understand him. Winston wants to meet another concealed outcast that would be against the Party. OBrien is an Inner Party member. It is not difficult to guess that he is not unorthodox. Paradoxically, Winston decides that exactly OBrien is the collaborator he needs: He felt deeply drawn to him ( ) because of a secretly-held belief or perhaps not even a belief, merely a hope- that OBriens political orthodoxy was not perfect. (Orwell p. 13) Smiths belief is based only on the fact that OBrien looks intelligent indeed. Imagination does not need facts it can make them up. Smith already has the hypothesis: OBrien is against the Party. He only needs the proofs. Winstons desperate need for collaboration stimulates his imagination. Thanks to it, Winston gradually starts finding proofs of OBriens unorthodoxy: But there was a fraction of a second when their eyes met and for as long as it took to happen Winston knew-yes, he knew! that OBrien was thinking the same thing as himself. (Orwell p. 19) To know that he is not alone in his hatred for the Party even that is an escape from the locked loneliness in which one had to live (Orwell p. 20). People tend to believe what they want to believe. Thus,(sloji tazi zapetaika:)) in Winstons mind OBrien becomes a secret friend who is a political conspirator. Smith is unable to see that OBriens collaboration is simply the necessary illusion. Once happened to believe that OBrien is a member of the Brotherhood, Winston starts interpreting reality in such a way as to keep this impression. In one of his dreams Smith hears somebody saying: We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness (Orwell p. 27). Winston does not see the face of the man talking, but as a consequence of his interpretation, he identifies the voice as OBriens (Orwell p. 27). When Winston starts keeping a diary, he needs to address the diary to a particular person (Orwell p. 84). Again he chooses OBrien: He knew, with more certainty than before, that OBrien was on his side. He was writing the diary for OBrien to OBrien (Orwell p. 84) Winston is sure that OBrien is a friend and there are (mislq che evidence se izpolzva samo v edinstv. Chislo, taka che go promeni za vseki sluchai)not any evidences to support his belief: Nothing but a flash of the eyes and a single equivocal remark: beyond that, only his own secret imaginings, founded on a dream. (Orwell p. 176) Smiths confidence can only be explained by his need and wish to deceive himself. Ironically, Winston turns out to be right about two things OBrien is a man he can talk to and one who really helps him change his life, but by different means. OBrien does not become his collaborator in a conspiracy against the unbearable regime, nor does he introduce himself to the Brotherhood, but makes him one of the brainwashed Party members. In this way Winston is saved from the horror of reality and starts liking it. Smith has always felt attracted to OBrien because of his appearance of a person you could talk to, if somehow you could cheat the telescreen and get him alone (Orwell p. 13). That is an appealing appearance, especially for a man who is longing to be heard. Winston wants to have someone with whom to share his thoughts, and it does not matter if this someone is a friend or an enemy, as long as he is able to understand: Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood (Orwell p. 264). And OBrien is the person to do so: I enjoy talking to you (Orwell p. 271). Even though Winston does not realize it, OBrien has a good reason to listen to him: in order to alter somebodys conception of the world, and even to eliminate it, one must first have a good notion of it. OBrien really succeeds in changing Winstons mind. Using torture to make Smith relinquish all his beliefs and hopes for a better world, even his love for Julia, OBrien deprives him of the sense of life. If one has nothing to live for, the tyranny of the Party does not matter anymore,(sloji zapet. ) and he is not motivated to rebel against it. OBrien is the one to cure Winston from his disobedience: He had the air of a doctor, a teacher, even a priest, anxious to explain and persuade rather than to punish (p. 257). Smith really needs OBriens help in order to accept reality. Winstons despair is caused by the fact that he cannot acquiesce with the formidable reality. Loneliness and helplessness to rebel against the regime of the Party make him suffer. In the beginning of the book OBrien is a needed illusion an imaginary political enemy of the Party for Winston not be alone in his hatred. At the end,(zap. i tuk) OBrien saves Smith from his anguish by altering his mind and depriving him of the sense of his life. In both cases Winston needs OBrien in order to cease suffering and to survive.