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Room 101

     Although I dislike Winston, I do pity him some in Chapter 5. In Room 101, we see what reaction the Party has been searching for from Winston, betrayal. Room 101 is the room of breaking points and Winston's is rats. O'Brien capitalizes on Winston's weakness and uses it to turn him against the only thing he had trust in. Up until this point, Winston has remained loyal to Julia, despite everything she has done to him. In this act of manipulation, Winston chooses himself over Julia. 

    This begs the question, why is Winston not punished for choosing himself, as people are not supposed to commit selfish acts? Is it because he is choosing himself at someone else's expense, making his selfishness justifiable and therefore inline with the Party's beliefs? Let me know what you think? Also, were you expecting Winston's betrayal, or did you believe that he would remain loyal to Julia to the bitter end?

Comments

  1. CatherineMarch 13, 2021 at 11:16 AM

    I was honestly expecting Winston's betrayal, but only because I knew the Party would try to capitalize on all of his weaknesses. I feel that the Party allows Winston to be selfish in this instance because its benefitting them.

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