Did anyone guess???

[6079 Smith, W]

Hi everyone, :yawnb: I have one question. Did any of you guess who would betray Winston in the end? Or did any of you even think that Winston and Julia would ever be arrested??? Somehow I think that it was obvious from the beginning that something like that might happen only how and when was unclear. On reading the book for the third time I have noticed a few quite fishy things about Mr Charrington, the way he behaves and what he does to get Winston to start renting the room above the shop. It didn't occur to me at first, but then again, you always notice more at the second or third time, right?:idea: Its like he was waiting for him to make a first move into thoughtcrime, sexcrime or other at the time he first entered the shop to buy the diary. For example a very suspicious line is : 'There's another room upstairs that you might care to take a look at,' he said. 'There's not much in it. Just a few pieces. We'll do with a light if we're going upstairs.' :nod: ;) Why does he show him the room if there isn't really much inside and why does he show him the picture with the telescreen behind it??? Its flipping obvious! If anyone has a comment to that I would be delighted if you would share it! W. :D

[leovinus]

O'Brian is a prevailing image throughout the book and is introduced early on in the story. As our good friend Tolstoy said; If a gun is shown in the opening scene, then it must fire in the closing. Orwell wants the reader to see the sense of tragedy and irony in this book. O'Brian is shown in Winstons dreams in the very first chapter. You cannot escape the system, and no matter what you will do you will be found and caught. The tragedy of the book is that as soon as Winston had commited a thoughtcrime he was a dead man. This is said quite a few times throughout the novel.

O'Brian is a rather obvious irony in the book. However, I believe that as for Mr. Charrington, it was not so much intended that the reader would know his real nature but rather he would serve as a dramatic element to accent the irony and tragedy at the end. Whilst it may be "flipping obvious!" the second or third time you read it, details like these tend to slip past when your reading it the first time and he just seems like a lonely, kind old man.

[pink_i_liner]

No i didnt think Mr Charrington or O'Brien will betray Winston, from reading the book the first time. The reason why it seems like they are going to betray him and all only happens when you read the book on the second and third time and you have known the story. Personally, Winston is a character that has to be betrayed in the end. He was already a dead man, he admitted himself, the day he wrote in his diary. The rest of the story is like a book read from the back- we know how he's going to die, its just how he betrays and how he is betrayed.

[evrhdthtdream]

I could tell (on my second time through) that there was something fishy with mr. charrington. What I son't understand is why they waited so long to betray him