1984

Winston finds himself in a brightly lit cell in what he assumes must be the Ministry of Love, where political prisoners are taken for interrogation and torture. Common criminals in the cell act normally, but the political prisoners are terrified of the unknown terrors ahead for them. Winston recalls that the Brotherhood never rescues its captured members, and suicide isn’t a viable option; he knows he will be tortured into confessing his anti-Party crimes.

Parsons arrives in the cell, reported by his own spy-daughter for having uttered “Down with Big Brother!” (295) in his sleep. Parsons remains the loyal Party member, though, readily confessing his guilt and thanking the Party for saving him from his own thoughtcrime. Winston is hopeful when O’Brien arrives in the cell, although O’Brien confirms that the Party got him a long time ago (301). Guards come in and hit Winston sharply on the elbow before he is taken away from the holding cell.

O’Brien is Winston’s torturer, meticulously administering pain as Winston confesses his thoughtcrimes. O’Brien compares the Party’s torture tactics to those of the Inquisition, the German Nazis, and the Russian Soviets, explaining that the most effective way to destroy a Party enemy is to wear them down with torture and solitude (320). The physical pain is too much for Winston, and he begins to view O’Brien as a savior for ending the pain rather than a torturer for inducing the pain.

Winston understands how things have reached this point, but he still doesn’t understand the foundational motivations of the Party. His torture continues at the hands of O’Brien, who explains to him the nature of the Party’s immortal power and confesses that he’s been watching Winston for seven years. O’Brien explains to Winston that the Party seeks power solely for power’s sake, not because of any inclination towards establishing a common good (332). He again compares the Party to the Nazis and Soviets, pointing out that the Party has perfected the system of power by recognizing its own motives (332). Winston begins to believe that what O’Brien tells him must be true and attempts to work through doublethink, becoming more dependent upon O’Brien for answers. 

O’Brien demands that Winston remove his clothing and look at himself in a mirror. Winston is horrified by his own reflection—he sees his own balding scalp, pinched mouth, gray skin, inflamed ulcer, and emaciated body. O’Brien mocks Winston for thinking such an image could possibly be “the guardian of the human spirit” (341), and Winston pathetically agrees. Winston finally asks when he’ll be executed, and O’Brien assures him that it might be a while, but “in the end we shall shoot you” (345).

Still uncertain as to how much time has passed, Winston is now in better condition but still imprisoned at the Ministry of Love. He’s gained back some weight, has dentures to replace his missing teeth, and his ulcer has been treated. He understands that rebellion is frivolous and has surrendered to an extent, finding himself wondering whether “the immortal, collective brain” (349) of the Party could be correct. He begins training his mind not to recognize or dispute the fallacies in Party logic, writing out for himself “FREEDOM IS SLAVERY” and “TWO AND TWO MAKE FIVE” (349).

Death never comes at an expected moment for political prisoners in the Ministry of Love, and Winston expects to be shot in the back of the head at any time. He believes Julia might still be alive and senses that she needs his help. He awakens from a dream calling her name, then quickly becomes anxious that O’Brien will begin his torture anew for having lost control of his thoughts. O’Brien does arrive and tells Winston that although he’s progressing intellectually, his emotions still betray the Party: “You must love Big Brother. It is not enough to obey him: you must love him” (355). With this, O’Brien sends Winston to the dreaded Room 101, where the worst imaginable torture is said to take place.

Winston is taken to Room 101 where O’Brien prepares to administer his final torture. O’Brien knows of Winston’s fear of rats, and he holds up a contraption designed to torture Winston with large, filthy rats. Winston insists that he’s confessed all that he can and begs O’Brien to tell him what he must admit: “But what is it, what is it? How can I do it if I don’t know what it is?” (359). Just as O’Brien is about to set the rats on Winston’s face, Winston betrays Julia and begs that she be put in his place. He hears the rat cage snap shut and knows O’Brien has saved him.

An unspecified amount of time has passed. Winston has been released from the Ministry of Love and is now a regular at the Chestnut Tree Cafe, where he drinks excessively in his usual corner. He still works for the Party and is paid well, although his job now entails nothing but occasional busy-work with a committee of fellow insignificant comrades. Winston has difficulty keeping his mind on anything for very long these days, and he’s troubled by memories of questionable accuracy. He did run into Julia once after his release. The interaction between them is frigid, and they confess to having betrayed one another at the hands of their torturers. Winston doesn’t feel any sexual desire for her any longer, and in fact feels disgust at the thought of engaging with Julia sexually again. He no longer resents the Party and now loves Big Brother.

The novel closes with an appendix explaining the principles of Newspeak. In some editions, this is formatted as a separate chapter, whereas in others it’s included as part of the final chapter of Part 3. The narrative voice shifts here, and Orwell explains directly to the reader what goes into creating and destroying language through Newspeak. The final phases of Newspeak’s implementation are postponed until the year 2050 due to the extensive amount of rewriting and translation necessary for a complete language overhaul in Oceanic society.