Winston's Thoughts

Colin Smith
4/25/13

Something I noticed about Winston is that he spends a majority of the narration in his head. This makes sense within the context of the book since he explains that all conversation is recorded, and it is too risky to share his opinions with others because of the possibility that they are "thought police". For example, he notices the dark haired girl observing him in several instances, and he is paranoid of Syme mentally taking note of his possibly "unorthodox" behaviors. Another interesting aspect of the society which is related to "thought crime" is "face crime", which Winston explains as wearing an inappropriate facial expression, and which he explains is often punished severely. When he is doing his morning exercises, he is singled out for not trying hard enough "'6079 Smith W! Yes, you! Bend lower, please! You can do better than that [...] A sudden hot sweat had broken out all over Winston's body. His face remained completely inscrutable. Never show dismay! Never show resentment! A single flicker of the eyes could give you away" (36). Winston has been trained to wear the right face at the right time, even though it doesn't mean he's not committing thought crime. He describes his look as "grim enjoyment" at one instance, but from experience he knows it is often difficult to prevent emotions  from being expressed through the body. For example, "With the deep unconscious sigh which not even the nearness of the telescreen could prevent him from uttering when his day's work started, Winston pulled the speakwrite toward him" (37). Winston's mental and physical condition must contribute somewhat to his emotions, since he lives alone, is malnourished, and feels alienated from his society. By this point in the book, the compounding of his frustration with his anger at the society he lives in are likely leading towards some course of action, and his diary will probably be the the focus of the development.