As he sits alone in a café, watching Big Brother’s face on the screen, Winston realises there is no fi ght left in him. Death would be a relief and he imagines the ‘long-hoped-for bullet’ entering his brain. Until that time comes, all he can do is gaze lovingly at the picture of Big Brother on the telescreen.
Discussion
Explain what you fi nd most interesting about Winston Smith. Support your answer with reference to the text.
Julia
Julia, like Winston, works in the Ministry of Truth. She wants to rebel against Big Brother and the Party but only in a small way. Julia has no desire to change society; she only wants to break the rules to please herself. She approaches Winston in a corridor at work and falls down when he is nearby, giving her the opportunity to slip a note saying ‘I love you’ into his hand when he helps her up. She controls the relationship, arranging where she and Winston will meet and making it clear that she wants to sleep with him. When her affair with Winston is discovered and they are both arrested, she apparently betrays Winston under torture, just as he has betrayed her. Both are released from prison when they are broken in spirit and no longer seen as a threat to the Party. They meet once after their release but neither is interested in meeting again.
