Chapter 3

           Therearethreestagesinyourreintegration,’saidO’Brien. ‘Thereislearning,thereisunderstanding,andthereisacceptance. Itistimeforyoutoenteruponthesecondstage.’ 

           Asalways,Winstonwaslyingflatonhisback. Butoflatehisbondswerelooser. Theystillheldhimtothebed,buthecouldmovehiskneesalittleandcouldturnhisheadfromsidetosideandraisehisarmsfromtheelbow. Thedial,also,hadgrowntobelessofaterror. Hecouldevadeitspangsifhewasquick-wittedenough: itwaschieflywhenheshowedstupiditythatO’Brienpulledthelever. Sometimestheygotthroughawholesessionwithoutuseofthedial. Hecouldnotrememberhowmanysessionstherehadbeen. Thewholeprocessseemedtostretchoutoveralong,indefinitetime—weeks,possibly—andtheintervalsbetweenthesessionsmightsometimeshavebeendays,sometimesonlyanhourortwo. 

           ‘Asyouliethere,’saidO’Brien,‘youhaveoftenwondered—youhaveevenaskedme—whytheMinistryofLoveshouldexpendsomuchtimeandtroubleonyou. Andwhenyouwerefreeyouwerepuzzledbywhatwasessentiallythesamequestion. YoucouldgraspthemechanicsoftheSocietyyoulivedin,butnotitsunderlyingmotives. Doyourememberwritinginyourdiary, "IunderstandHOW:IdonotunderstandWHY"? Itwaswhenyouthoughtabout"why"thatyoudoubtedyourownsanity. YouhavereadTHEBOOK,Goldstein’sbook,orpartsofit,atleast. Didittellyouanythingthatyoudidnotknowalready?’ 

           ‘Youhavereadit?’saidWinston. 

           ‘Iwroteit. Thatistosay,Icollaboratedinwritingit. Nobookisproducedindividually,asyouknow.’