Blog #2

1984  by George Orwell

The reoccurring themes of physical pain and control constantly appear in this last section. The party believes that through torture, they can control the minds of their subjects. Through the use of physical pain, the party is able to destroy and alter human reason, which readers see happen to Winston when he betrays Julia. Winston states, "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!"(Orwell, 2860. It is in this moment that the party has officially taken over Winston's mind. Beforehand, even while in the Ministry of Love, Winston had not betrayed Julia for he loved her and wanted her to be safe. When Winston throws Julia under the bus, the one person he truly loved, the power of the party is revealed. This ties back to the idea that physical pain eliminates human rationality. Even though Winston had just proclaimed his love for Julia moments before, under the pressure of torture and physical pain, Winston is able to deny his love for Julia and even ask to put her through the pain instead of him. Winston is a prisoner of his own body. He will do anything, say anything or be anything when his psychical self is endangered.