The Brotherhood Trap

Follows the thread in which O'Brien masquerades as a leader of the underground and lures Winston into a false dream of resistance.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Glance Across the Hate

A Glance Across the Hate The Signal During the Two Minutes Hate, Winston catches O'Brien's eye and is seized by the conviction that O'Brien is thinking the same heretical thoughts. The Inner Party member's gesture of resettling his spectacles seems like a sign of recognition, a message that says 'I am with you.' The Hope This momentary glance becomes the seed of Winston's faith in the Brotherhood. He has no evidence, only a dream and a longing, but he begins to write his diary for O'Brien, imagining him as the hidden ally who will one day receive the confession. The Danger The flash of hope is also a weapon. The Party uses such longings to find and destroy dissenters, and O'Brien has already marked Winston as a target.

The Corridor Invitation

The Corridor Invitation The Unexpected Contact Walking down a corridor in the Ministry of Truth, Winston feels a larger presence behind him. It is O'Brien, who speaks with grave courtesy about a Newspeak article and offers to lend him the tenth edition of the Newspeak Dictionary. Beneath a telescreen, O'Brien writes his address on a scrap of paper and hands it to Winston. The Meaning Winston interprets the gesture as a secret summons. The mention of Syme, who has been vaporized, seems to be a code. He believes that the conspiracy he has dreamed of is real and that he has at last touched its outer edge. The Irreversibility Winston knows that going to O'Brien's flat will be a step from words to actions, and that the final step will be the Ministry of Love. But he cannot resist the pull of the place where there is no darkness.

Wine and Catechism

Wine and Catechism The Inner Party Home The servant Martin admits Winston and Julia into O'Brien's softly lit flat. O'Brien turns off the telescreen, a privilege no Outer Party member has ever seen, and pours wine. He raises a glass to Emmanuel Goldstein, proving that the Brotherhood is real. The Questions O'Brien asks Winston and Julia if they are prepared to commit murder, sabotage, suicide, and even to separate forever. Julia answers 'No' to the last question, and Winston echoes her. O'Brien tests their loyalty and then explains the dark life of the Brotherhood: they will fight in the dark, receive orders without explanation, and finally be caught and confess. The Covenant Winston leaves with the words 'We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness' ringing in his ears. He has bound himself to a shadow, not knowing that his new master is the Party itself.

The Book and the Briefcase

The Book and the Briefcase The Handoff During a feverish demonstration in Victory Square, Winston feels a tap on his shoulder. A stranger returns a briefcase that is not his, and inside it he finds a shabby volume titled The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism by Emmanuel Goldstein. The Reading In the hidden room, Winston reads the forbidden book. It explains the structure of Oceania, the perpetual war, and the purpose of doublethink. He feels that the book is the product of a mind like his own, but far more powerful and systematic. The Deeper Trap The book is another thread in the net. O'Brien later reveals that he collaborated in writing it, and that its promised revolution is nonsense. Winston has been given a map of the prison, but the map is only a tool of the jailer.

The Reunion in the Cell

The Reunion in the Cell The Betrayer Revealed Winston is taken to a white cell in the Ministry of Love, and when the door opens O'Brien walks in. Winston cries out, 'They've got you too!' but O'Brien answers, 'They got me a long time ago.' The truth is finally exposed: O'Brien is a loyal servant of the Party, and the Brotherhood is a lie. The Interrogation O'Brien controls a dial that can send waves of pain through Winston's body. He asks about the war, the photograph, and the number of fingers he holds up. Winston tries to hold onto four, but the pain breaks him, and he screams 'Five!' The Descent The dream of a hidden ally dissolves into the reality of a torturer who knows every thought. Winston understands that O'Brien has always been the protector and the destroyer, and that their meeting in the place without darkness is this windowless room.

during the Two Minutes Hate, early April 1984

several weeks later, late May or early June 1984

an evening shortly after the corridor invitation

during Hate Week, late June or July 1984

after the arrest, in the Ministry of Love