Syme's Vaporization

Character fate flow for Syme, from intellectual enthusiasm to erasure.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Dictionary Enthusiast

The Dictionary Enthusiast The Devotion Syme is a tiny creature with large, mournful and derisive eyes. He works on the Eleventh Edition of the Newspeak Dictionary and speaks of word destruction with a pedant's passion. The Uneasy Friendship Winston knows Syme despises him and would denounce him without hesitation, yet he is drawn to the frankness of his mind. Syme is the only person who talks about important things. The Omen Winston sees the doom written in Syme's face: too intelligent, too clear, too plainly spoken.

The Contradictions of Duckspeak

The Contradictions of Duckspeak The Explanation Syme defines duckspeak for Winston, a word with two contradictory meanings, abuse for an opponent and praise for an ally. He loves the doublethink built into the language. The Blind Spot He does not see that his own clarity is a deviation. The Party wants perfect orthodoxy, which is unconsciousness, and Syme is too conscious. The Prediction Winston repeats to himself: Syme will be vaporized. He feels a deep sadness, but he knows it is as certain as sunrise.

One Name Shorter

One Name Shorter The Notice Board Winston checks the list of the Chess Committee and finds that Syme's name has disappeared. No one mentions him; no one asks where he went. The Lesson This is how a man is abolished. The whole apparatus of memory becomes silent, and the past is repaired as if he had never existed. The Foreknowledge Winston is not surprised. Syme's death was written in his face from the first conversation, a reward for an intelligence the Party cannot use.

The Erased Name

The Erased Name The Silent Space Syme's work continues without him; his name is omitted from every record. Even his friends learn to avoid thinking about him, because mentioning him is dangerous. The Monument He leaves no trace except the dictionary he helped build. The Eleventh Edition will be published with no author list, a tombstone made of words. The Warning Syme's fate is a warning to Winston and to every rebel. The Party does not kill its enemies with bullets alone; it kills them in memory, in language, and in the minds of their friends.

early in the story

the canteen scene

several weeks later

after the disappearance