 Winston: He is thoughtful, intellectual, independent, rebellious, fatalistic, paranoid, angry, and afraid. Even after Winston has been so brutally tortured, he is still not ready to completely give in to the Party and tells O’Brien that he believes the spirit of human nature will rise up eventually and put an end to the Party’s oppression of society. As paranoid as Winston is his strong hatred of Big Brother continues to drive him to rebel against the Party. This is one of his strongest characteristics. He is also fatalistic especially when he asks O’Brien when they will shoot him. -Winston’s character seems to represent strength and everything that is noble and good within people.

 O’Brien: He is mysterious, cunning, controlling, powerful, and abusive. It is hard to know exactly what O’Brien’s position is both in the Party and as it relates to Winston. At one point he almost seems sympathetic towards Winston but that is not in character with his actions especially when he tortures him. He seems to represent everything about the Party that Winston hates, but at the same time he manipulates and controls Winston to the point where Winston loves and admires him. He also seems fatalistic when he tells Winston that it doesn’t matter in the end because he will be shot just like everyone else. -O’Brien’s character seems to represent everything that is negative and bad about a government that completely controls it’s society.

 Proletarians: lowest or poorest class of people. -O’Brien says that there won’t be a Proletarian rebellion even though a book he helped write said there will be.  Insurrection: an act or instance of rising in revolt, rebellion or resistance against civil authority or an established government. -O’Brien tells Winston to forget all of his dreams of overthrowing the Party because the Party is too powerful to ever be overthrown.

 Doublethink: The ability to maintain two contradictory ideas at the same time and believe them both to be true. -O’Brien tells Winston that if the people can’t recognize contradictions that gives the Party more control because they can manipulate the truth.  Oligarchies: a form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; government by the few. -O’Brien refers to the oligarchies of the past and how this government is stronger and smarter.

 Protagonist: Winston – he admits that power lies with those who can make others suffer physically and psychologically but he holds onto his belief that the people will somehow triumph over the Party and tells O’Brien this.  Antagonist: O’Brien – he tries to torture Winston into submission by telling him that the party rules the universe and there is nothing the party can’t do.  Setting: Room 101 in the Ministry of Love which is the torture room.  External Conflict: Man vs. Society – Winston’s struggle against the Party’s belief that they rule the universe and that civilization should exist on fear, hatred, and cruelty vs. love and kindness even though Winston knows O’Brien will continue to torture him for this. Man vs. Man – Winston vs. O’Brien – Winston knows that many things O’Brien tells him that have happened historically aren’t true and he continues to resist and to argue with O’Brien until O’Brien tortures him again.  Internal Conflict: Man vs. Self – Even though Winston has endured such tremendous pain and torture he continues to struggle with himself and his memories of a time before the Party ruled and how different things were then. He vaguely remembers that people were actually free to think for themselves but he has no proof that this time really existed, only his memories and dreams.

 Climax: O’Brien makes Winston take his clothes off and makes him look in a three way mirror at himself. Winston is shocked at the condition of his broken down body and what O’Brien has done to him.  Foreshadowing: O’Brien admits that Winston will eventually be shot.  Irony: Even though O’Brien has tortured Winston and inflicted so much pain on him, Winston loves and admires O’Brien.  Symbolism: Winston’s frail, broken-down body symbolizes the weakness of an individual who tries to act alone against the Party. The Party derives it’s strength from numbers so mankind collectively is strong and powerful represented by the Party and man alone is weak, helpless, and frail is represented by the condition of Winston’s body when he sees himself in the mirror after he has been tortured for so long.

 What are Winston’s feelings toward O’Brien? Explain. - Winston has feelings of love and admiration toward O’Brien because O’Brien has inflicted so much pain on Winston physically that it gives O’Brien incredible power over Winston’s mind which makes Winston want to please O’Brien and also to believe what O’Brien tells him even if he knows it is not true. Winston becomes like a battered wife toward O’Brien.  What does Winston admit to O’Brien is the key to a man’s power over other men and the key to the Party’s power? -Winston admits that making someone suffer is the key to power over others and the key to the Party’s power is their ability to control people’s minds by making them suffer horrible physical pain.  What does O’Brien accuse Winston of and was he right? -O’Brien accuses Winston of knowing that O’Brien represented the Party and that Winston would be caught by trusting O’Brien. Winston knew that O’Brien was right because Winston believed that he would eventually be caught no matter what he did.

 Does Winston ever admit to O’Brien that the Party is right in trying to master the universe by making robots out of society? -Even though Winston is beaten and battered, he refuses to give up his belief that the human spirit will eventually rise up against the Party and good will triumph over evil.  Explain the Party’s motives and give specifics. - The Party is interested in complete power and it seeks power entirely for it’s own sake. O’Brien tells Winston, “We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power.”  What is crucial to the Party’s control of the people of Oceania? Explain. -Doublethink is crucial to the Party’s control of the people of Oceania because it is a form of psychological control that breaks down an individual’s capacity for independent thought so it is then possible for a person to believe anything they’re told even if they know it is not true.

 O’Brien tells Winston he is entering the second part of his reintegration which is understanding the Party, their motives, and their goals. He continues to torture Winston for arguing that even though the Party thinks it controls the Universe, somehow the human spirit will eventually rise up and rebel against the Party. O’Brien then tells Winston he is the last man, the guardian of the human spirit and makes Winston take off his clothes and look in the mirror to see himself as he really is and Winston starts to cry because he looks like a beaten old man. He blames O’Brien for this but O’Brien tells Winston that he has no one but himself to blame because he rebelled. Winston loves and admires O’Brien anyway. O’Brien then tells Winston nothing matters because in the end everyone gets shot.

 This chapter foreshadows what’s to come in the future for Winston and the people of Oceania. It also gives insight into the Party’s motives, their goals, and their beliefs that the Party is everything and has the ultimate weapon of control and power which is pain and man is nothing more than a puppet to be controlled and programmed to carry out the Party’s plans. It is about the struggle of good vs. evil with Winston holding to his belief that the human spirit which is basically good will somehow rise up and conquer the Party which represents evil. This chapter also describes how powerful and dangerous mind control can be.