Part One: Life Under the Party
The novel begins with Winston Smith, a 39-year-old man living in Airstrip One,
formerly Britain, which is part of the superstate Oceania. The Party, led by the
figurehead Big Brother, controls every aspect of life. Winston works at the Ministry
of Truth, where he alters historical records to match the Party’s propaganda. This
manipulation ensures that the Party is always seen as infallible.
• Surveillance and Control:
• Winston’s life is monitored constantly through telescreens, which transmit
Party propaganda while also acting as surveillance devices. The Thought
Police ensure that any dissent, even unspoken, is punished. Citizens are
encouraged to participate in public rituals like the daily Two Minutes Hate,
where they express their anger toward the Party's supposed enemies, such as
Emmanuel Goldstein, leader of a resistance group called the Brotherhood.
• Winston’s Inner Rebellion:
Winston secretly despises the Party. He begins a journal, writing down forbidden
thoughts like “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER.” This act of rebellion is dangerous and
punishable by death. He also starts to question the Party’s manipulation of reality and
remembers vague fragments of a time before the Party came to power.
• Introduction of Key Characters:
Winston becomes fixated on two people:
o Julia, a young woman who works in the Fiction Department and whom
he initially suspects of being a Party loyalist or Thought Police agent.
o O’Brien, a high-ranking Inner Party member who seems to share
Winston’s disdain for the Party.
Winston dreams of rebellion and freedom, but his fear of the Party and its power over
reality keeps him in check.
Part Two: Rebellion
Winston’s life changes when Julia secretly passes him a note saying, “I love you.”
Though he initially distrusts her, they begin a forbidden romantic relationship. Julia is
The novel begins with Winston Smith, a 39-year-old man living in Airstrip One,
formerly Britain, which is part of the superstate Oceania. The Party, led by the
figurehead Big Brother, controls every aspect of life. Winston works at the Ministry
of Truth, where he alters historical records to match the Party’s propaganda. This
manipulation ensures that the Party is always seen as infallible.
• Surveillance and Control:
• Winston’s life is monitored constantly through telescreens, which transmit
Party propaganda while also acting as surveillance devices. The Thought
Police ensure that any dissent, even unspoken, is punished. Citizens are
encouraged to participate in public rituals like the daily Two Minutes Hate,
where they express their anger toward the Party's supposed enemies, such as
Emmanuel Goldstein, leader of a resistance group called the Brotherhood.
• Winston’s Inner Rebellion:
Winston secretly despises the Party. He begins a journal, writing down forbidden
thoughts like “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER.” This act of rebellion is dangerous and
punishable by death. He also starts to question the Party’s manipulation of reality and
remembers vague fragments of a time before the Party came to power.
• Introduction of Key Characters:
Winston becomes fixated on two people:
o Julia, a young woman who works in the Fiction Department and whom
he initially suspects of being a Party loyalist or Thought Police agent.
o O’Brien, a high-ranking Inner Party member who seems to share
Winston’s disdain for the Party.
Winston dreams of rebellion and freedom, but his fear of the Party and its power over
reality keeps him in check.
Part Two: Rebellion
Winston’s life changes when Julia secretly passes him a note saying, “I love you.”
Though he initially distrusts her, they begin a forbidden romantic relationship. Julia is
