English 3UO
Whether intentional or not, impacting someone's mental state can be
terrifying. With this, a sense of power seems to come along with the terror. In the novel 1984 by
George Orwell, the themes of power, oppression, and insanity are shown and mentioned
throughout the book. Mr. O'Brien affects Winston's mental and
psychological health more than anyone in the novel. He is an influential and controlling figure in
Winstons life. Winston feels an immediate connection to him at the novel's beginning; unfortunately, this feeling costs him his sanity at the end of the story. Another person to accompany O'Brien for Winston's demise is his mother. Whether or not Winston's mother intended to harm him or have an effect on him psychologically, she had caused Winston to
lead his life in a very different way (possibly more dangerous) from what it could
have been without her impact. Essentially, everything had changed in Winston's life because of
his past. Winston's need to learn about and abolish the totalitarian government that
controls all of Oceania directly results from his mom's actions and absence in his life,
eventually, OBrien's presence and being. It is valid to say that OBrien and possibly Big
Brother may be responsible for the entirety of Winstons suffering, yet it is his past that has
made more of an impact on it.
O'Brien is one of the more terrifying characters in this novel. The fact that he had
Betting Winston while pretending to be on his side shows his effect on Winston's mental
state. It is proven further by his words:
Do not imagine that you will save yourself, Winston; however ultimately you
surrender to us, And even if we chose to let you live out the natural term of your life,
still you would never escape from us. What happens to you here is forever. We shall
crush you down to the point from which no return is coming. Things will happen to
you from which you could not recover. Never again will you be capable of ordinary
human feeling. Everything will be dead inside you. Never again will you be capable of
love, friendship, joy of living, laughter, curiosity, courage, or integrity. You
will be hollow. We shall squeeze you empty, and then...
