1984 #8

After a long awaited verbal encounter with O'Brian, Winston delves deeper into his state of rebellion. He arrives at O'Brian's apartment with Julia and confesses openly to their crimes against the Party: "We are enemies of the Party. We disbelieve in the principals of Ingsoc. We are thought-criminals. We are also adulterers" (170). Winston does not yet know that O'Brian is part of any conspiracy against the current government, but his hope for an overthrow overwhelms him and he blurts out everything that could convince O'Brian that he is disloyal to the Party. Winston is desperate to make a change in Oceania, even if it does not occur in his lifetime, so he seeks to aid any organization sharing his ideals. Fortunately for Winston, O'Brian is part of a conspiracy against the government. The Inner Party member welcomes Winston into his organization, and informs him of his responsibilities in the Brotherhood.  Winston agrees to heinous crimes against humanity in order to assure O'Brian of his commitment, and he leaves the Inner Party dwelling as a member of the infamous Brotherhood.

In the midst of Hate Week, the Party announces that the country is at war with Eastasia instead of Eurasia. Ironically, all Hate Week propaganda was made to target Eurasia and is displayed throughout the city, but the Party claims that the country was always at war with Eastasia. The blatant lies of the party are clearly showcased in the streets of Oceania, but Party members are quick to switch their targets for hate: "Without a word said, a wave of understanding rippled through the crowd. Oceania was at war with Eastasia! [...] The Hate continued exactly as before, except that the target had been changed" (181). The Party has such a strong grip on its citizens that it has the power to fabricate a war and make everyone believe in it. Rather than expressing his expected disgust, Winston throws himself into his work at the Ministry to delete the war with Eurasia from history. Winston is forced to work eighteen hours a day, knowing that he is assisting the corruption of the government. Surprisingly, he "was not troubled by the fact that every word he murmured into the speakwrite, every stroke of his ink pencil, was a deliberate lie. He was as anxious as anyone else in the Department that the forgery should be perfect" (183). Winston's whole-hearted effort to erase the past directly contradicts his desire to be an active member of the Brotherhood. Obviously, Winston has to do his job in order to remain undetected by the Party, but he does not have to be driven while doing it. For someone who wants to take down the government, Winston does not appear to be passionate about his cause when he is working in the Ministry.