1984 Post #2

O'brien is essentially telling Winston that he can't beat the system. He starts off by telling Winston he is already at a disadvantage because he has yet to humble himself. The way society is set up during the time of the novel, the people are programmed to have a one track mind. The Party does what it can to limit the variety of things that the people encounter. However, Winston refuses this way of life from the party. He branches out on his own and looks for answers he's not supposed to have.
Obrien says that submission is the price of ones sanity. This basically means that the more you put up a fight, the more you will wreck your brain trying to find answers. This is shown in the book when all of society seems somewhat content except for Winston. This is because Winston is trying to hard to obtain answers that have been purposely made unavailable.
Obrien states that only the disciplined mind can see reality. That statement can mean a few different things. The disciplined mind can be referring to the mind of the people as a whole. Their minds can be noted as disciplined because of the fact that everyone is on the same mind wave. The disciplined mind could also signify a mind that is spoon fed everything from an outside source. This can be seen as disciplined because the mind is only given access to what the controlling force wants the mind to know. Winston would not be a part of this disciplined mind because of the fact that he tries to rebel from the party. Winston causes himself more grief because he is prying for answers and reasoning that he is not getting.
This theme that Obrien presents ultimately plays a role in what happens to Winston in the end. By speaking on how Winston's mind is not disciplined, it shows in the end of the book. Winston seems to be put in a very awkward position when he finds out the truth about Obrien and The Party. Obrien is trying to stress the fact that all of the grief and confusion could have been avoided if Winston would have conformed to the way of the people.

1984

1984 was a very interesting book. The book struck an interest with me because of the mystery behind Big Brother. It was a case where the government purposely withheld information from its people, and it altered the only information the people had access to. This is a genius way to keep people in your control, keep them ignorant. I think the master mind behind Big Brother and the different parties was wise enough to know how to control a large group of people.

Winston is very interesting as a main character. The access we have to his mind guides us through what it was like living in that time period. We see through the eyes of Winston how things were operated from someone who worked for one of the government run ministries, and someone who was amongst the normal citizens. Winstons thought process helps clarify the customs and the social norms of that time era. Winston intrigued me in the sense that he was a brave man. Knowing of the consequences of opposing Big Brother, the Party, and the Thought Police, Winston went ahead and started his on investigation about what was really going on. It was interesting for him to do that with all the powers above him watching his every move because he couldn't possibly know who he could trust and who he could not. I think the way the book was set it up it portrayed Winston as a direct threat to Big Brother because of his willingness to try and bring him down.