Is Winston special?

[jbee94]

I don't understand why Winston get's mostly all of his questions answered from O'Brien. Is he special or something from the rest of the people or do they all get answers too? Also, did the thought police go about from neighborhoods from house to house to catch people? I ask because after Winston is captured Mr. Parsons is too...

[mlovee3]

Winston gets most of his questions answered because he wont have the chance to tell anyone else. He never existed. Also i don't believe the thought police go from house to house. Winston is captured by a thought police, but Mr.Parsons is captured because his daughter caught him saying "Down with Big Brother" in his sleep and turned him in. Hope this helps!

[6FOOTER]

Winston gets most of his questions answered from O'Brien because he feels winston should know the truth and as stated already, he won't get the chance to tell anyone else. The thought police doesn't go around the neighborhood Mr. Parson was turned in because of his daughter and was proud of her for that.

[Eryk]

For one thing, Orwell was writing exposition in the form of dialogue. It's like the butler and the maid talking about the household at the beginning of a play.

And I think O'Brien was trying to teach doublethink (cynicism and fanaticism) by making Smith understand the Party and also love Big Brother out of desperation.

[Tag]

For me, Winston has been as special to O'Brien, as O'Brien was special to Winston. When they first met Winston knew, before anything, that O'Brien was going to be an important person in his life, and I'm sure O'Brien knew this as well, but perhaps more so was that he noticed Winston was a danger to the Party.

O'Brien spent so much time on Winston becuase, when all is said and done, O'Brien is a fanatical follower of double-think and the Party's ideals, and loves Big Brother. He has a complete desire to do what's best for the Party, and he wants Winston to be "cured" because he views Winston as someone who is sick, and whose way of thinking is wrong.

Honestly, it's really beautiful how O'Brien genuinely believes in his cause, and how much he wants to show Winston the "right way" to think and act, albeit in a brainwashingly tortuous way...