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Thread: o'brien's character- *** or not?

  1. #1
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    o'brien's character- *** or not?

    hey guys, this is my first post ever!

    anyway, i just finished 1984 and i was a little confused about o'brien's character. seemed like a real *** to me, but then there were these moments when winston seems to think they are pals, and o'brien understands him... winston seems to like him for some reason. i found their relationship confusing. any thoughts?

  2. #2
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    I also just finished 1984, a little upset about the conformity in the end, I thought Winston was going to be different. Regarding your post, I got the feeling that OB really wanted to nurture Winston and Winston in turn wanted to be nurtured by OB. During the 'captivity' Winston did not seem to be a 40ish yr old person, but reminded me of a child. Perhaps Winston, like myself, believed that OB wasnt just trapping him, but there had to be some truth that OB believed in the brotherhood, that the flicker in his eye really happened bc OB let his guard down.

  3. #3
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    That was the point of O' Brian; he was the 'person who so believes in all he says' that he is here to help you. Re-read carfully the dialoge of O'Brian, the points where he 'nurtures winston'; this is a centuries old technique - used by the inquistion - which is the role that O'Brian is taking, the inquisitor. The Inquisitor is not there to torture the person, he is there to 'befriend' the person once the torture is over. That was the physical beatings adminstered to winston. The other, the electrical shocks were 'therapy' or "medicine"

    " Don't worry, Winston ; you are in my keeping. For seven years I have watched over you. Now the turning-point has come. I shall save you, I shall make you perfect." He was not sure whether it was O'Brien's voice; but it was the same voice that had said to him, " We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness ", in that other dream, seven years ago.

    O' Brian was there to be the moral and spiritual compass for Winston to focus on, once that happened, and Winston really came to believe that O'Brian was his friend, he would do anything for him. That is the true role of the inquistor; to be the person to whom you reach for when you realise that you are "going astray".

    Keep in mind this is all allagorical, and the Party and O'brian represent the people he demeans in speech to Winston. And yes, once the torture had done its work, Winston was now like a child, he was being molded into the shape the party wanted him to be. That is the whole reason for the Ministry of Love, the MiniLove.

  4. #4
    Shades of the 'Stockholm Effect' and Freud's 'Identifying with the Aggressor' - also demonstrates the attraction of power.

  5. #5
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    o'brien uses this tactic to wear winston down.

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