Sunday, November 24, 2013

Are There Heroes In The Face of FEAR?


In the novel 1984, Winston was forced to face his biggest fear, rats. O'Brien sent him into Room 101 and also put a cage full of rats in there with him. O'Brien then threatened to release the rats and let them eat his face. Winston could not withstand the thought of this because it was his biggest fear and soon gave in to what The Party wanted him to do, blame everything on Julia, and admit his love for Big Brother. When someone is dealing with their fears, it is almost impossible for them to be brave.
Just as Winston I have a fear of not having freedom. My biggest fear is of not being able to express myself. This is the thing I am most afraid of in life. If someone were to strip me of my freedom one day and not allow me to express myself, I honestly think I would have a severe panic attack, and believe me, I have. If I was in Winston’s situation except with I think I would do the same thing he did. I don’t think I am capable yet of not being able to express myself, let alone, be eating by rats. Most human beings would betray anyone if they were faced with their worst fear.



This blog helped me better understand what Winston’s state of mind was while he was in Room 101. It helped me realize that it was not that he wanted to betray Julia, but that he was forced to by his worst fear. A poor reader of this book would most likely think Winston should not have betrayed Julia, but it is almost impossible to think about the welfare of others when you’re in the face of fear.

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