Why is O’Brien such a revered and respected character, even during Winston’s time in the Ministry of Love?
Outline the social hierarchy of Oceania. How does this hierarchy support the Party and its goals?
Is Winston sane or insane? How does our society determine what is sane and insane, appropriate behavior or deviant behavior, moral or immoral? If one person believes in an idea or creed that is totally different from or opposite to that of the entire society, is that person insane?
Should a government restrict personal freedoms in order to decrease violence and crimes?
O’Brien prominent Inner Party member with whom Winston feels a strange bond. Winston feels that even if O’Brien is an enemy, it wouldn’t matter because he knows O’Brien will understand him without explanation. O’Brien is a large, graceful, and clearly intelligent man who leads Winston to believe he is part of an underground movement against the Party, but in fact helps turn Winston in for thoughtcrime and tortures him in the Ministry of Love. O’Brien is full of strange contradictions. He can be fatherly – and even tender – even while fanatically expressing his devotion to the Party by torturing Winston. O’Brien reforms Winston into a shell of a man. He becomes Winston’s torturer and savior: his teacher and his brainwasher.
