Relationship between OBrien and Winston

OBrien is a mysterious character throughout the book. Winston describes him to be

a big man with a brutal face. Winston feels that they have a connection. OBrien is
able to convince Winston that he is part of the Brotherhood and is against the Party.
Winston believes him as he goes with his gut. Winston looks up to OBrien as a great
leader rebelling against the Party, it seems like OBrien is just like Winston but with
the courage to actually make a change. As we find out in Book Three, OBrien is not
actually part of the Brotherhood but that he has tricked Winston into believing in
him. This is a great twist in the plot as Orwell had led us to believe that OBrien was
on Winstons side.
Throughout the book, Winston has conflicting emotions towards OBrien. He really
respects him but he also hates him just like he loves and despises the Inner Party.
He has two opposite emotions for OBrien which complicates their relationship.
Winston seems to have an admiration for OBrien as the Narrator describes, OBrien
was a being in all ways larger than himself [Winston]. There was no idea that he had
ever had, or could have, that OBrien had not long ago known , examined, and
rejected. His mind contained Winstons mind.(Book III. Ch II.) He realizes the
OBrien is a great man, much bigger that Winston. Winston also thinks that,
He[OBrien] was the tormenter, he was the protector, he was the inquisitor, he was
the friend. (Book III. Ch II.) Winston thinks that OBrien is on his side and against
him. He says that, OBrien had seen what he meant without the need for
explanation. (Book III. Ch III.) OBrien and Winston have this bond which lets him
know what the other is thinking.
It is hard to tell what OBrien thinks about Winston but throughout most of the book,
he seems to have this certain indifference towards Winston. In Book Three however,
OBrien wants to change Winston but he still seems to have an admiration for
Winston. Winston could not remember whether it was drugged sleep, or in normal
sleep, or even in a moment of wakefulnessa voice murmured in his ear: Dont
worry, Winston; you are in my keeping. For seven years I gave watched over you.
Now the turning point has come. I shall save you, I shall make you perfect. (Book III.
Ch II.) Winston believes that it was OBrien who said that to him. This shows that
OBrien thinks Winston is special, he is different from any other thought criminals.
OBrien also says that he is taking more time with Winston than with anyone else
because he wants to change Winston to the core of Winstons existence.
What are differences in the relationships Julia and O'Brien share with Winston?
Julia and O'Brien's relationships with Winston share several contrasting features.
For example, with each character Winston anticipates their relationship but his predictions are off. In the beginning,
Julia is "the dark haired girl" for whom Winston finds great hate during the Two Minutes Hate. Ultimately,
throughout Book Two, Winston finds himself sincerely falling in love with her to the degree that they offer great
commitment to each other. In the beginning, O'Brien strikes Winston as a trustworthy companion. Winston believes
that the two of them communicate with their eyes as like-minded rebels to the Party. Throughout Book Two,
O'Brien indeed lets Winston believe he is a like-minded rebel, but by Book Three, it is apparent that O'Brien is an
enemy.

Each relationship positions itself to provide secret companionship, but Julia is the only one who is sincere.
Winston wants to have both love and intellectual challenge from Julia, but she only offers physical love. Winston
believes he might find that intellectual challenge and camaraderie in O'Brien.
Orwell uses these relationships to further develop the everyman in Winston. Winston really struggles with reading
the truth in people. This just typifies him as the average man.
Winston & Julia relationship
We are first introduced to Julia during the preparation for the two minutes hate. She was "a bold-looking girl"
about 27 years old, with thick dark hair, a freckled face and she moved with a swift athletic grace. Winston hated
Julia ever since he had layed eyes on her. He believed that the reason he hated her was 'because of the atmosphere
of hockey-fields and cold baths and community hikes and general clean mindedness which she managed to carry
about her. He disliked nearly all women, and especially the young and pretty ones.... who were the most bigoted
adherents of the party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies and nosers-out of unorthodoxy." (pg. 12) But
Winston thought there was something more dangerous about Julia than most women.
During the two minutes hate Winston gets hallucinations about trying to mortally wound Julia, and at that time he
realizes why he hates her so much. It was because she represented what he could not have; she was young, strong,
and beautiful.
Later in the book Julia and Winston meet in a hallway and she falls. While Winston helps her up Julia gives him a
note saying "I love you". They then secretly get together and Winston finds out that Julia has had affairs with other
party members, even though this is strictly forbidden in the party. From then on Winston and Julia get together
many other times always switching spots so that they would not be discovered.
Although Winston and Julia both rebel against the party they are completely different in their reasoning,
inspiration, and motives. Winston rebels in hope that future generations will be free of the party and be able to live
in something like the Golden ages or the times he remembers from before the party took over, or at least in a time
where they are free to think what they like and are not denied the privilege of the truth. Julia, being younger has no
memories of a time before the party and therefore can't imagine a time without the party in control. She rebels not
for the future generations, like Winston, she rebels more for the sake of just rebelling. Julia believes that the only
way of rebelling against the party is with secret acts of disobedience or at the most isolated acts of violence
because she doesn't believe that anyone or anything can defeat the party.
Also, although Julia is against Big Brother, she does not seem concerned about the extent of his control. She is
against the party and what it stands for but she never really says her reasoning. The only time Julia questions the
party's teachings when they somehow touch upon her own life. Julia also accepts lots of what the party says simply
because she didn't seem to care much of the difference between a lie and the truth.

To me it seems that Winston and Julia do not completely love each other, it seems like they more love the idea of
loving one another than actually having the physical and emotional connection simply because they can relate to
each other. They are also very determined to stay together, when O'Brien asked if they were willing to be separated
they both refused. This might be because that when they are together they know that they are not alone. It is a
human need for companionship and you can not have this in the party's society. In Winston and Julia's struggle
against the party, they feel they can confide in each other their actual opinions and thoughts about the party and this
would make them feel much less alone

Character :

Winston would be a martyr had O'Brien killed him directly.

His evolution throughout the novel :
he's an average man
he sensed that there was a time when things were better.
concerned with individual freedom and expression => diary
starts to remember because of the diary
his love for Julia expands to a world of feelings. He makes his dream come
true and wishes he could control the past.
remembers his love for his mother, his cruelty and selfishness towards his
sister and threw guilt and he acquires a dignity. He is capable of feeling
sorrow.
he vows to remain true with Julia and therefore not to betray her.
the punishment he endures in the Ministry of Love erodes all the dignity he
has acquired. He is nothing but a "recked peace of humanity" by the time
he faces the mirrors.
he betrays Julia just as he had betrayed his sister.
he loves Big Brother.
Orwell :

 any form of totalitarianism threatens the uniqueness of the individual.

none of us are free of this power of oppression.
message : people must fight against the state that controls the individual.
O'Brien :
represents the ideology of the party.
represents pure intellect.
is magnetic in character.
member of the Inner Party but Winston felt he's understood him for many
years.
plays very manipulative games
Winston admires him because he has an old fashion of being.
head of the Ministry of Love
The relation between O'Brien and Winston is that of the torturer and the
tortured.
Winston feels a sense of admiration to him because threw O'Brien, his
deception is released. Winston welcomes the punishment as he sees it as
the punishment of the bet rails of his mother, sister and Julia. Winston does
want to be human anymore. It is easier to be part of the Party than to
oppose it.
By becoming his torturer, O'Brien becomes his saviour. He thus loves him all
the more.
Julia :
no intellect => rebels sexually but not intellectually.
the foil (somebody who shows a character up by contrast) to Winston.
Parson :
Orthodox loyalist
example for the party

Proles :
subjugation though culture drugging.
not loyal to party but to one another.
only Proles and Animals are free = they are both unconscious => neither
can rebel.
=> irony : power to rebel lies with them.
they don't need to be part of the party.
the culmination of the proles takes place at the end of the novel, when the
fat women is singing.
=> Orwell is a socialist and thus admires Proles // workers.
Diary :

first sign of rebellion

dream of O'Brien
dream of Mother = guilt : now he has no dignity => evolves into the dream
of the Golden country
Symbolism :

Device by which the author draws themes together and underlines certain ideas so that the construction of the
novel becomes complete.

1. The Golden country

The dream with his mother evolves to the dream of the golden country, a
romantic vision of the old European pastoral landscape that symbolises peace,
beauty, unity, uniqueness.
The fact that one could be in harmony in this land is important.
The dream is the direct opposite to the reality he has to life threw day in day out. This reality is one of
darkness, cruelty. The dream of the golden country is very Freudian as it reveals Winston's
subcontious.
In this dark reality, the only thing one can resort to is his dreams, as sort of private rebellion. Dreams
are special and cannot be taken from you, unless you share them, mistake that Winston commits with
O'Brien.

2. The glass paperweight

1st passage (p.96) : the dream of the Golden Country.
2nd passage (p.154) : the love between Julia and Winston
p.232 : how small he is against the party.
3. Room 101

Structure :

The book is divided in three equal parts all very specific.

There are thus three main movements :
description of main character against the setting. Emphasis on setting : a
regimented world. Last from the 4th to the 6th of April = 2 days.
transformation of Winston's life through temporary happiness (Julia). This
part lasts from April to August = 5 months.
imprisonment, torture and final abandonment of intellectual integrity =
ugliness. Lasts from August to May = 9 months.
Three stages of reintegration into society :
1. Learning :
Winston is washed clean of rebellious thoughts. He has to learn that the party controls reality and there
is no such thing as objective thought. The individual mind and memory needs to be controlled.
Winston learned through love that being human means being consistent, remembering things and
understanding why, it is against the party's logic : mind's capacity for judging is nonsense. Memory,
facts and logic do not matter.
2. Understanding : Why the party exists?
For the good of the people, because men are frail, weak, cowardly and have no self control so they
need to be controlled for there own good. Added to this, the Party want's power : "power is not a
means but an end", but Winston still thinks that the Party will be overthrown : he believes in the spirit
of man. O'Brien destroys this belief when he makes Winston watch himself in front of the 3 mirrors.
3. Acceptance :

O'Brien cauterises Winston's love for Julia. At the end Winston is white as snow because he loves Big
Brother. His left to be shot sooner or later.