1984

           Hetookthebrief-caseabstractedly,withoutspeaking. Heknewthatitwouldbedaysbeforehehadanopportunitytolookinsideit. TheinstantthatthedemonstrationwasoverhewentstraighttotheMinistryofTruth,thoughthetimewasnownearlytwenty-threehours. TheentirestaffoftheMinistryhaddonelikewise. Theordersalreadyissuingfromthetelescreen,recallingthemtotheirposts,werehardlynecessary. 

           OceaniawasatwarwithEastasia: OceaniahadalwaysbeenatwarwithEastasia. Alargepartofthepoliticalliteratureoffiveyearswasnowcompletelyobsolete. Reportsandrecordsofallkinds,newspapers,books,pamphlets,films,sound-tracks,photographs—allhadtoberectifiedatlightningspeed. Althoughnodirectivewaseverissued,itwasknownthatthechiefsoftheDepartmentintendedthatwithinoneweeknoreferencetothewarwithEurasia,orthealliancewithEastasia,shouldremaininexistenceanywhere. Theworkwasoverwhelming,allthemoresobecausetheprocessesthatitinvolvedcouldnotbecalledbytheirtruenames. EveryoneintheRecordsDepartmentworkedeighteenhoursinthetwenty-four,withtwothree-hoursnatchesofsleep. Mattresseswerebroughtupfromthecellarsandpitchedalloverthecorridors: mealsconsistedofsandwichesandVictoryCoffeewheeledroundontrolleysbyattendantsfromthecanteen. EachtimethatWinstonbrokeoffforoneofhisspellsofsleephetriedtoleavehisdeskclearofwork,andeachtimethathecrawledbacksticky-eyedandaching,itwastofindthatanothershowerofpapercylindershadcoveredthedesklikeasnowdrift,half-buryingthespeakwriteandoverflowingontothefloor, sothatthefirstjobwasalwaystostackthemintoaneatenoughpiletogivehimroomtowork. Whatwasworstofallwasthattheworkwasbynomeanspurelymechanical.