Interpretations of the ending?

[fahrenheit91]

I was just wondering how everyone interpreted the way Orwell ended the novel. Do you think it was effective/satisfying? Why do you think it ended this way? Do you think that Winston wanted to be killed by the Thought Police all along? Interested in hearing some thoughts :)

[Dark Muse]

In a way I do not think it could have ended any other way, but I do not think that Orwell ever intended for the ending to be truly satisfying.

I have contemplated the idea that a part of Winston wanted to just be caught and killed all along, becasue he spent so much time playing with fire so to speak and was always almost waiting to get caught. I think a part of him knew the world could never really change and he could no longer take it, but did not have enough courage to just end it for himself so he intentionally put himself in situations where he could get caught.

[The Atheist]

It reflects the inevitability of any rebellion.

No matter what a rebel does, he will always end up in Room 101 followed by the bullet.

[Protaginst]

I felt that the ending was highly unsatisfying. It seemed as though, Winston, during his time in the Ministry of Love, had hope in becoming a martyr to his own personal cause. To die hating Big Brother. Then upon seeing a telescreen with Big Brother's face upon it and crying of happiness? Not only did he betray Julia, he also betrayed himself.

[The Atheist]

I felt that the ending was highly unsatisfying. It seemed as though, Winston, during his time in the Ministry of Love, had hope in becoming a martyr to his own personal cause. To die hating Big Brother. Then upon seeing a telescreen with Big Brother's face upon it and crying of happiness? Not only did he betray Julia, he also betrayed himself.

That's a bit harsh on Winston!

The whole point was that he'd been completely broken and he wouldn't have got out of Room 101 until he had been.

Winston didn't really betray anyone any more than any captive who gives something up under torture.

[bazarov]

Not only did he betray Julia, he also betrayed himself.

But he didn't betray Big Brother - that's the point.

[Reticence]

That was pretty much implied.

[Protaginst]

But he didn't betray Big Brother - that's the point.

He betrayed himself by loving Big Brother, by fulling taking on his philosphy.


Winston didn't really betray anyone any more than any captive who gives something up under torture.

A captive that goes into tourture, true cant be blamed for the information given up. Physical pain is one of life's stimuli that can't be ignored, Winston learned this the hard way. But captives, like Winston pre-Room 101, have a thought they use as a source of hope, maybe seeing a loved one again, walking amongst flowers or seeing their children. For Winston it was to see Julia and to live to see another day, where he would then die and become a marytr for the cause of dieing and hating Big Brother, the personal victory.

As captives come home they get to have their dreams turned into reality. How joyous an occasion when a POW is met by his family! As for Winston post-Room101 he has lost his dream, he betrayed Julia. And to quote the book, "But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother."

The Post-Winston broken by Room 101 had beaten down the ideals of Pre-Winston. He had subcummbed to Doublethink and ultimatley betrayed his own unique humaness, and his conciousness in the problems with the distopia he lives in.

[The Atheist]

He had subcummbed to Doublethink and ultimatley betrayed his own unique humaness, and his conciousness in the problems with the distopia he lives in.

No, he'd been brainwashed.

[ClassicRockKid]

I have just finished the book 1984 and I have heard different opinions on how people thought the ending was so i was wondering how you people felt the ending was

[Enjoi.]

I did not like it, It was fitting after all Winston went through. I think Orwell left it off the way he did to enforce his warning about what could happen if totalitarinism became the dominant governing style. It almost tells us that you can't beat them after they take hold. It is a terrible government and Orwell tells us that.

[The Atheist]

I have just finished the book 1984 and I have heard different opinions on how people thought the ending was so i was wondering how you people felt the ending was

Predictable?

Orwell made it plain that escape was impossible. It's designed to have the bleakest ending imaginable.

On the other hand, it could be seen to have a happy ending, from Winston's point of view - he's happy, he loves Big Brother. Sure, he's deluded as hell, but so what?

[Enjoi.]

I don't think Orwell would have wanted a happy ending. That would defeat the purpose of the precautionary theme against totalitarianism. I think Orwell wanted to leave the worst ending as possible that way people know you can't defeat totalitarianism after it has taken it's roots.

[jellolover07]

I thought that the ending was predictable, yet still shocking. I knew as soon as Winston began the tortures that he was most likely going to loose his individuality to Big Brother, yet actually seeing the character develop into yet another mindless unfeeling Big Brother supporter was surprising. Orwell wrote 1984 very creatively. I think he purposely tried to give the reader a false sense of hope, such as the false sense of hope that Winston had earlier in the book, that Big Brother would somehow be taken down by Big Brother. Yet, in the end, Orwell shows us that once a government has that much control over its people, it is unstoppable.

[lukgem]

tragic,sad,frustrating,hurtful,dead,hopelessness,a ngry,hollow.


he could have given us the satisfaction of letting winston get the bullet,yet the last man in europe lives on into eternity.
would it not be fantastical to scribe into the bottom of your copy that,

as winston realised he loved bb he turned and saw the barrel of a militia pistol pointing directly at him and realised all of a sudden he was walking that long corridor full of light a mile wide,he knew it was coming(the bullet),and something that had been buried deep inside,repressed,not allowed to surface since his therapy,that very same thing that puzzled him about 2+2+=5 burst through to the surface with acute speed and unstoppable omnipotent force,winston knew,he hated big brother.

[Enjoi.]

If only Orwell had written that, i think a lot more people would be satisfied. But Orwell did not want to satisfy he wanted to caution us, which leads us here...:lol:

[tbccvbtfhc]

I agree that the ending was predictable, O'Brien kept hinting that people sometimes get released after being tortured and after they love big brother, which I think was foreshadowing that Winston would make it out of the Ministry of Love. The ending shows really how much power the government has over its people. They sucessfully make people love Big Brother and have no other emotions. The government is in total control.

[Enjoi.]

I agree that the ending was predictable, O'Brien kept hinting that people sometimes get released after being tortured and after they love big brother, which I think was foreshadowing that Winston would make it out of the Ministry of Love. The ending shows really how much power the government has over its people. They sucessfully make people love Big Brother and have no other emotions. The government is in total control.

Mmhmm. :thumbs_up

[longsocks]

I just finished. For the last 80 pages, i could not put the book down. I also think it was a bit predictable. However, i felt there was some surprise, I personally did not think he would be a supporter in the end. I knew he would do every thing he could to escape the ministry of love. But i thought he would still secretly go against BB. Its insane how much control the government has on people, not only in the book but in real life. This book really made me look at things with a different view point. YAY orwell!

[Enjoi.]

I just finished. For the last 80 pages, i could not put the book down. I also think it was a bit predictable. However, i felt there was some surprise, I personally did not think he would be a supporter in the end. I knew he would do every thing he could to escape the ministry of love. But i thought he would still secretly go against BB. Its insane how much control the government has on people, not only in the book but in real life. This book really made me look at things with a different view point. YAY orwell!

Keep on reading!

[DWAI]

The ending totally caught me off guard.
After all the fighting against big brother he tried to do, he just gave in.
I mean, I know room 101 is supposed to do that to you, but i guess I just thought Orwell would make Winston an exception.

It wasn't at all how I had expected it to end. Not at all.

[The Atheist]

The ending totally caught me off guard.
After all the fighting against big brother he tried to do, he just gave in.
I mean, I know room 101 is supposed to do that to you, but i guess I just thought Orwell would make Winston an exception.

I don't get the "made Winston an exception" bit. O'Brien had already hinted at the result and it's clear that every single dissenter went through the same process, but each with their individual fear.

No giving in is involved - nobody can fight Room 101. That's the whole point.


It wasn't at all how I had expected it to end. Not at all.

What did you expect?

[tacoandburrito]

I was hopeful that Winston would persevere in his beliefs and overcome Big Brother. Unfortunately, he did not, but that's the point Orwell wanted to make. The abusing power of Big Brother is just like a modern day abusive relationship. The abuser is always in control of the abuse and the abuser.

[Enjoi.]

I was hopeful that Winston would persevere in his beliefs and overcome Big Brother. Unfortunately, he did not, but that's the point Orwell wanted to make. The abusing power of Big Brother is just like a modern day abusive relationship. The abuser is always in control of the abuse and the abuser.

Good comparison. And you got the main point right on. He warned us in this book, got his point across.

[Enjoi.]

What did you expect?

For W. to overcome BB?

[The Atheist]

I was hopeful that Winston would persevere in his beliefs and overcome Big Brother. Unfortunately, he did not, but that's the point Orwell wanted to make. The abusing power of Big Brother is just like a modern day abusive relationship. The abuser is always in control of the abuse and the abuser.

This is an excellent analogy, and it goes to those people who ask of battered women, "Why didn't she leave?".

The psychology of abuse, like lots of things, isn't logical.


For W. to overcome BB?

Wait for the Disney version.

:D

(I might even start a fun thread on how Disney would do 1984, based on The Hunchback of Notre Dame somehow becoming a cutesy kids' flick.)

[Nurze]

well I feel totally defeated after reading 1984.I love the book tho I don't think it is a satisfying ending and neither did Orwell plan it to be so. this novel could make people think that there is no way out in such a society but it also spread the idea that such a society does exist in our world.

I know what I'm going to say sounds extremely dumb but I really doubt.. how can these things still happen when we are such advanced in many ways? In some countries, people are living in '1984' and it is sad how no one can do anything about it. What happened to Winston was extreme..someone who could totally be defeated over all the things he believed. Winston was a rebel and in the end..he turned out to be just another follower of the Party.

When someone said that Winston had always longed to be caught, I quite doubt it. Could it be that he really and wholeheartedly believe that he could somehow bring change to this or even stop this whole thing. He did try. He was ready to take risk. I dont know.. well the more i write the more i find that this novel really tells a lot about human nature.

Orwell is very talented and creative in portraying the story and what ever message he wanted to convey. I think it reached out to all readers. We all get probably the same of different message from Orwell.

[Enjoi.]

Wait for the Disney version.

:D

(I might even start a fun thread on how Disney would do 1984, based on The Hunchback of Notre Dame somehow becoming a cutesy kids' flick.)

ughh, Disney ruins everything. The Brothers Grimm tales were defiled, great literature in shambles. :bawling:

[The Atheist]

well I feel totally defeated after reading 1984.I love the book tho I don't think it is a satisfying ending and neither did Orwell plan it to be so. this novel could make people think that there is no way out in such a society but it also spread the idea that such a society does exist in our world.

One of the joys in dealing with Orwell is the lack of ambiguity, and we know there's no ambiguity because Orwell wrote a large number of essays as well as his novels and several of his essays dealt with what he wrote, why he wrote it, and what he hoped to achieve.

In 1984 Orwell planned for the ending to be stark and scary. Readers are intended to feel that there is no escape and the Party is omnipotent.

Orwell certainly did not intend to spread any notion that such a place as Oceania will ever exist.


I know what I'm going to say sounds extremely dumb but I really doubt.. how can these things still happen when we are such advanced in many ways? In some countries, people are living in '1984' and it is sad how no one can do anything about it.

While we can't discuss politics here, we can do history and I'm pretty confident the closest society there has been to Oceania was Soviet Russia and where are they now?


What happened to Winston was extreme..someone who could totally be defeated over all the things he believed. Winston was a rebel and in the end..he turned out to be just another follower of the Party.

No, he did not.

His brain was re-programmed. Winston Smith no longer exists. In real terms, he is every bit as dead as the bodies in the local cemetary.


When someone said that Winston had always longed to be caught, I quite doubt it. Could it be that he really and wholeheartedly believe that he could somehow bring change to this or even stop this whole thing. He did try. He was ready to take risk. I dont know.. well the more i write the more i find that this novel really tells a lot about human nature.

Yes indeed, especially the ones about silly beliefs!

:D


Orwell is very talented and creative in portraying the story and what ever message he wanted to convey. I think it reached out to all readers. We all get probably the same of different message from Orwell.

The thing is, Orwell wanted us all to get the same message out of the story. Again, it's the delight of Orwell - he is one of the few authors whose points are unarguable, because he not only made them plain in his books, he also reiterated the thoughts in his essays.

[RudeDog1]

The ending pointed out that once you can't love each other you lose. When Winston is unable to love Julia anymore, he is shot in the back of his head and murdered. To me that meant that although we live here alive, if we are unable to love then we are already dead, shot in the back of our head.

[The Atheist]

The ending pointed out that once you can't love each other you lose. When Winston is unable to love Julia anymore, he is shot in the back of his head and murdered.

Nope. W realises that he can't love Julia far earlier. It's his love for BB which seals his fate - plus, we don't know whether the bullet is literal or figurative.


To me that meant that although we live here alive, if we are unable to love then we are already dead, shot in the back of our head.

I doubt that's what Orwell wanted. The capacity to love was intact, it just had to be directed at BB.