Saturday 2 June 2012

When Winston thinks back to his childhood, how did he behave towards his mother and sister?

In
chapter seven of Book Two,wakes up from a vivid dream and tellsthat he believes he
metaphorically murdered his mother. Winston then recalls his dream, which took place when he was
twelve years old. Winston remembers it being a chaotic time in London and his father had
recently disappeared. As an adolescent, Winston recalls spending long afternoons scrounging for
food in rubbish heaps and the feeling of constant hunger. Winston also remembers his mother
becoming completely spiritless after the disappearance of his father and she would sit
motionless for hours at a time, nursing his young sister.

Winston also
recalls incessantly nagging his mother for food and expecting to receive a bigger portion simply
because he was "the boy." Winston would constantly ignore his mother's pleas to be
unselfish and proceed to pillage their pantry for any remaining food. Winston also vividly
remembers eating an entire two-ounce slab of chocolate and refusing to share it with his younger
sister and mother. This is the last memory Winston has of his mother and when he returned to
their apartment she was gone. The memory haunts Winston to this day and he acknowledges that he
was a selfish, insensitive adolescent, who made his mother's life difficult. Winston was never
concerned for his infant sister and would continually take her portion of food. Winston
continues to carry the guilt and shame with him but respects his mother for her private
loyalties and unconditional love, which are inherent human qualities that the Party is trying to
destroy.

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