In
, there is a strong contrast between the physical appearances ofand .
Winston has a small frame and weathered features, much like a typical worker:
He moved over to the window: a smallish, frail figure, the
meagreness of his body merely emphasised by his blue overalls... His hair was very fair, his
face naturally sanguine, his skin roughened by coarse soap and blunt razors.
In contrast, O'Brien is a much larger and stronger-looking man,
perhaps representative of his role in the Inner Party:
OBrien was a large, burly man with a thick neck and a coarse, humorous, brutal
face.
In Part Three of the novel, these physical
appearances change significantly when Winston is being tortured by O'Brien in the Ministry of
Love. Winston is described as a "bowed, grey-coloured skeleton" with
"battered-looking cheekbones." O'Brien looks very different, too:
His face€¦ looked coarse and worn, with pouches under the eyes and
tired lines from nose to chin.
In Part One of the novel,
then, Winston and O'Brien look very different, but by Part Three, their similarities become
apparent. Both men are battling rebellion, albeit from different perspectives (Winston is the
rebel while O'Brien is the punisher). The emotional impact of this time is evident in their
changing physical appearances. This is, perhaps, 's way of stating both men are not so different
after all because both, by the end, will love Big Brother.
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