Winston's vulnerability

[cheesecake]

It is Winston’s vulnerability that defeats him, not the strength of his enemies. Discuss.

I am in a little hole with this essay topic. What exactly is his vulnerability? Is it his need to form human connections? Or is it something else?


Thanks for any help.

[billyjack]

maybe its his need to seperate himself from oceaniac society. being a non-comformist defeated him

[Aidas]

Hope it's not too late to help you, but...

Winston is vulnerable to a lot of things. First, he is not "metaphysical," as O'Brien correctly tells him - or at least he hasn't been trained to think metaphysically - and so he doesn't have the power of mind needed to hold up against O'Brien's ruthless nonsense arguments.
Second and more importantly, he betrays Julia at the end because of his fear of the rats and, by extension, fear of his own death - his greatest vulnerability, and one of man's greatest vulnerabilities to a force like the Thought Police - the potential to give up your mind and your love for one another to serve your own self-interest. Julia says it best at the end when she tells him that that their confession can never be undone, and they just can't love each other as much anymore. Now we figure out why the three 'criminals' sitting around the table in Winston's memory are crying when they hear the song "Under the spreading chestnut tree" from the telescreen
(incidentally both the criminals and Winston break down completely when they hear something from the telescreen...).

I hope this helps - sorry if I'm too late, but I just joined after I finished this book. It was a great book...I'm glad the Sixties happened instead though...

[Cookice]

So.. I am just wondering, why are Jones, Aaronson and Rutherford crying when they hear "Under the spreading chestnut tree"?
Is it just because their current thoughts are conflicted to their previous ones? Or.. ?