Thought vs. Love

During one of Winston’s countless torture sessions, O’ Brien states that it’s not enough to follow the party you must love it. Love the party, a simple thing that Winston cannot comprehend to do. He is empowered by his hatred for Big Brother and wants to die with control of his own thought. However, throughout the book it’s always been the mind under control and I never realized how important a love for big brother is. In the end the love for big brother is what keeps society happy not the control of thought. In theory everyone might hate what they are told to think but their blind love for big brother prevents them from realizing it.

In the end of this section we begin to see Winston break from this. Winston realizes his hatred for big brother in begins screaming in his cell and inevitably is taken to room 101. Here, O’Brien places him in a chair and informs Winston that this will be the worst torture he has endured. O’Brien explains that a cage of rats will feed on flesh and at this moment Winston changes. He betrays Julia. His respect for Julia was all he had left; it was a measure of Winston’s strength. Giving that up means he has almost given up completely. Maybe even his love for Julia was what kept him from outing her for so long. So, what do you think, is love or thought more controlling?