The Victory of the Party in "1984"

Acceptance in a miserable life is as much of a tragedy as death. In George Orwell's novel, 1984, the overruling party brainwashes and tortures Winston, the protagonist, into believing that the party's ideals are just. Once Winston accepts the party fully in his mind, the party kills him off.

The party ends Winston's life moments after he completely accepts it. After the party captures Winston, O'Brien, an inner party member, explains how the party makes the criminal "one of [them] before [they] kill" that enemy (255). The party wishes for there to be no martyrs, even if the intent is to kill the threat all along. This lays out the overall plan is to kill off Winston as soon as he was captured. Later in Winston's captivity, O'Brien assures Winston that "in the end [the party] shall shoot [him]" (274). This is another example that the party plans to kill Winston in time. After Winston is released from the party's confinement, he ponders a chess problem, and he makes an observation: "In no chess problem since the beginning of the world had black ever won" (289). This symbolism describes of how the party will always destroy their enemies; the white pieces represent the party and the black pieces represent the enemies of the party. The party will always kill those who oppose it, eventually. Finally, Winston confesses that he accepts the party fully; that "he [loves] Big Brother," the sole icon of the party (297). As O'Brien said, the step after converting is killing. Winston dies soon after he accepts this affection in his mind. Based on what Winston says, thinks, and hears, it is apparent that the party kills Winston in the end.

In conclusion, the party takes away Winston's life after he allows the party to influence his life completely. Winston's life after intervention by the party is drastically different than before the party's intervention. He is basically an alcoholic getting paid to do practically nothing, and he accepts everything the party says completely. This life is not better than death, for it is a fake happiness. Winston, deep down, does not believe that the party is ethical, but he has no choice but to follow it. He is not living his own life at this point; he is only living the life that the party has outlined for him. Since the party lives on whether its members die, Winston's life becomes meaningless to both his own goals and the party's goals. In total, there is no difference between Winston's life at this time and his death; Winston died before the party even killed him.