1984

           ‘Wedidn’toughtto’avetrusted’em. Isaidso,Ma,didn’tI? That’swhatcomesoftrusting’em. Isaidsoallalong. Wedidn’toughtto’avetrustedthebuggers.’ 

           Butwhichbuggerstheydidn’toughttohavetrustedWinstoncouldnotnowremember. 

           Sinceaboutthattime,warhadbeenliterallycontinuous,thoughstrictlyspeakingithadnotalwaysbeenthesamewar. ForseveralmonthsduringhischildhoodtherehadbeenconfusedstreetfightinginLondonitself,someofwhichherememberedvividly. Buttotraceoutthehistoryofthewholeperiod,tosaywhowasfightingwhomatanygivenmoment,wouldhavebeenutterlyimpossible, sincenowrittenrecord,andnospokenword,evermadementionofanyotheralignmentthantheexistingone. Atthismoment,forexample,in1984(ifitwas1984),OceaniawasatwarwithEurasiaandinalliancewithEastasia. Innopublicorprivateutterancewasiteveradmittedthatthethreepowershadatanytimebeengroupedalongdifferentlines. Actually,asWinstonwellknew,itwasonlyfouryearssinceOceaniahadbeenatwarwithEastasiaandinalliancewithEurasia. Butthatwasmerelyapieceoffurtiveknowledgewhichhehappenedtopossessbecausehismemorywasnotsatisfactorilyundercontrol. Officiallythechangeofpartnershadneverhappened. OceaniawasatwarwithEurasia: thereforeOceaniahadalwaysbeenatwarwithEurasia. Theenemyofthemomentalwaysrepresentedabsoluteevil,anditfollowedthatanypastorfutureagreementwithhimwasimpossible. 

           Thefrighteningthing,hereflectedforthetenthousandthtimeasheforcedhisshoulderspainfullybackward (withhandsonhips,theyweregyratingtheirbodiesfromthewaist,anexercisethatwassupposedtobegoodforthebackmuscles) —thefrighteningthingwasthatitmightallbetrue.