In Part One
of , the mood is sombre and oppressive. In the opening paragraphs, we learn
of 's dilapidated and run-down accommodation block, Victory Mansions, which is pervaded by the
smell of "boiled cabbage." We also learn the famous party phrase "Big Brother Is
Watching You," and find Winston overcome with guilt about writing in his diary.
Part One also introduces us to the presence of telescreens, through which the Thought
Police monitor every movement of Oceania's citizens, and of the ongoing war with Eurasia. In
Chapter Four, we learn about Winston's job at the Ministry of Truth, where the party rewrites
history, and of the rationing of food and the shortage of basic items like shoelaces and razor
blades.
In stark contrast is Part Two of 1984. Here, the
mood is hopeful and optimistic: Winston meets and falls in love with , and they spend an
intimate afternoon in the woods in Chapter Two. They begin to spend time together in secret, and
Winston rents a room above Mr Charrington's shop for this purpose. Later, in Chapter Eight,
Winston and Julia go to 's apartment and learn about the underground resistance movement. He
also receives a copy of Goldstein's book, which further encourages his rebellious feelings
against the party.
But this optimism does not last. Part Two closes with
Winston and Julia's arrest by the Thought Police and the realisation that O'Brien is really an
inner party member who tricked them into believing in the resistance. The scene is now set for
their torture and imprisonment in the Ministry of Love.
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