1984

           Itookpartintheirinterrogationmyself. Isawthemgraduallyworndown,whimpering,grovelling,weeping—andintheenditwasnotwithpainorfear,onlywithpenitence. Bythetimewehadfinishedwiththemtheywereonlytheshellsofmen. Therewasnothingleftinthemexceptsorrowforwhattheyhaddone,andloveofBigBrother. Itwastouchingtoseehowtheylovedhim. Theybeggedtobeshotquickly,sothattheycoulddiewhiletheirmindswerestillclean.’ 

           Hisvoicehadgrownalmostdreamy. Theexaltation,thelunaticenthusiasm,wasstillinhisface. Heisnotpretending,thoughtWinston,heisnotahypocrite,hebelieveseverywordhesays. Whatmostoppressedhimwastheconsciousnessofhisownintellectualinferiority. Hewatchedtheheavyyetgracefulformstrollingtoandfro,inandoutoftherangeofhisvision. O’Brienwasabeinginallwayslargerthanhimself. Therewasnoideathathehadeverhad,orcouldhave,thatO’Brienhadnotlongagoknown,examined,andrejected. HismindCONTAINEDWinston’smind. ButinthatcasehowcoulditbetruethatO’Brienwasmad? Itmustbehe,Winston,whowasmad. O’Brienhaltedandlookeddownathim. Hisvoicehadgrownsternagain. 

           ‘Donotimaginethatyouwillsaveyourself,Winston,howevercompletelyyousurrendertous. Noonewhohasoncegoneastrayiseverspared. Andevenifwechosetoletyouliveoutthenaturaltermofyourlife,stillyouwouldneverescapefromus. Whathappenstoyouhereisforever. Understandthatinadvance. Weshallcrushyoudowntothepointfromwhichthereisnocomingback. Thingswillhappentoyoufromwhichyoucouldnotrecover,ifyoulivedathousandyears. Neveragainwillyoubecapableofordinaryhumanfeeling.