Thought Police

[Texas53]

What class do the Thought Police belong to? I thought they were in the Inner Party but then the shopkeeper who turned in Winston and Julia (I think his name is Mr. Carlson or something like that) lives in the proles. Do the Thought Police even belong to any class at all? and who decides who gets to become part of the Thought Police?

:banana:

[Dark Muse]

I think the Thought Police can be anyone. Just the way the childern are trained to spy upon thier parents. I think that it is part of how total control is kept, because you cannot really trust anyone, and if people know that, they will have no true safe heaven, so no matter where they are, they will always do what they are told and what is exepcted of them becasue you never really know who is watching.

[KurtDunn]

Yeah I think that's the case.

There is no explicit class they're ever labeled to. They're probably people who function, for the most part, outside of the class system.

Which, if true, would invoke the age old question "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?"

Who watches the watchmen?

[The Atheist]

The Thought Police must be members of the Inner Party.

That Cherrington lived among the proles is no problem - as O'Brien shows, the Inner Party members can do what and when they like, without fear, because they are the Party.

The Thought Police may have had Outer party members for legwork, but the ring of actual Thought Police will be Inner Party members for a certainty. They have to be able to decide what is and isn't thoughtcrime and also discover the weak link for Room 101 - far too much responsibility for anyone outside of the inner circle.

[sunburstgl]

From what I read, I thought that Charrington was under cover as a shop keeper. I think there was a point where Charrington came upstairs and looked different, I took it as he had some sort of disguise on before.

"There was another lighter step in the passage. Mr. Charrington came into the room. The demeanor of the black-uniformed men suddenly became more subdued...but his hair which had been almost white, had turned black...."

and it goes on to explain some more differences of Charrington than before