George Orwell: 1984 Chapter Summaries

Make sure you will get the most out of 1984 using these chapter-by-chapter reviews for books 1, 2, and 3.
Use this 1984 Study Guide to review Orwell's classic. Find more novel study guides at Brighthub.com.
Chapter One: The novel's first chapter introduces the reader to the novel's protagonist, Winston Smith of Airstrip One, Oceania. Winston is surely an unimportant person in Ingsoc, the controlling party of Oceania. As he labors in the stairs to his apartment, he passes several posters of Big Brother, the embodiment of party leadership, who in reality represents oppression, but to citizens represents everything that is good. Winston commits



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thoughtcrime by writing DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER as part of his diary, the possession of which constitutes thoughtcrime.
Chapter Two: Winston hears a knock in the door and fears it's the thought police. It's actually his neighbor whose sink he unplugs and whose youngsters are junior spies for your party.




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Chapter Three: Winston dreams of his mother, of the naked girl running toward him, as well as Shakespeare, the 3 of which represent thoughtcrime. He awakens to the telescreen's shrill cry of exercise time.
Chapter Four: Winston visits work at The Ministry of Truth. His job is usually to falsify past records to be conform to current reality.
Chapter Five: Winston eats lunch with Syme, an authority on Newspeak, the official language of the party, whose purpose is to reduce the number of words and to render thoughtcrime impossible.
Chapter Six: Winston records his latest sex act in their diary, a disgusting affair with a Prole prostitute without teeth. He longs for the meaningful relationship, what he considers the greatest rebellion contrary to the party.
Chapter Seven: Winston writes in their diary that this only hope is within the Proles, the running class. He longs to get a sense of the past, picks up a children's history book, and realizes any record from the past is controlled from the party and contains been falsified.
Chapter Eight: Winston wanders in the Prole district and buys a paperweight with the same store he bought the diary. He notices women from the Ministry of Truth and fears he could be being followed. He contemplates smashing her face in using a cobblestone.
Analysis: The party controls its citizens through media manipulation, language manipulation, psychological trickery, the dissolving of family ties, and torture. The party has made illegal all things that make life enjoyable: family ties, sex, romantic love, the freedom to consider, great literature, and anything involving introspection. Although Oceania doesn't have specific laws prohibiting any one Winston's actions, his actions are outward signs which he has committed the best crime, thoughtcrime.
Book One introduces the reader to the novel's other two significant characters, Julia, the lady in the blue overalls, and O'Brien, the inner party member who Winston believes might be a fellow conspirator.
Chapter One: The girl who earlier Winston desired to strike inside face having a cobblestone passes him a communication that says "I thank you." It takes several attempts, however the two have the ability to converse and schedule a meeting at Victory Square. Winston feels he has a reason to reside.
Chapter Two: The two meet within the country and engage in romantic love acts.
Chapter Three: The two go back to normal party lives and find a way to meet limited to short time periods. They rendezvous at an abandoned church. Winston realizes that Julia is not interested in a large rebellion. She is only enthusiastic about outsmarting the party and having intercourse.
Chapter Four: Winston rents a space above Mr Charrington's shop, where he purchased the diary along with the paper weight. He realizes it's a huge risk but he feels it's worth the cost.
Chapter Five: Syme disappears (as WInston predicted earlier). Winston constantly acknowledges the room above Charrington's shop, considering what continues there, I think we understand.
Chapter Six: O'Brien stops Winston within the hall and provide him his address. Winston isn't sure if this is the sign from the underground or if he's a stride closer to his doom.
Chapter Seven: Winston and Julia visit their rented room frequently. They know they will eventually be captured and tortured knowning that renting the space is stupid. They carry on and rent it anyhow and promise each Whatsapp Friendship other they'll remain loyal.
Chapter Eight: Winston and Julia visit O'Brien and discuss the underground with him. He promises Winston that they will deliver a novel containing the secrets with the underground.
Chapter Nine: Oceania is no longer at war with East Asia. It's at war with Eurasia. This forces Winston and the Ministry of Truth coworkers to log 96 hours during the next couple of weeks. Finally, Winston is able to escape to his rented room where he reads the book given him by O'Brien. The book explains the significance and specification of War is Peace, Ignorance is Strength, and Freedom is Slavery.
Chapter 10: As it turns out, Mr. Charrington is a person in the Thought Police and there is a telescreen behind the picture in the room above his shop. Winston and Julia are arrested.
Analysis: The moment WInston, Julia, and people have all been expecting finally occurs at the end of chapter 10. The only question remaining is whether or not Winston and Julia betray the other. Don't you hate it if you buy illegal items from an undercover thought policeman? I imagine Winston feels pretty stupid. That whole "Here comes a chopper to chop off your face poem" has haunted me since part one and should have been a hint to Winston that both Charrington and O'Brien weren't to be trusted.




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Chapter One: Winston awaits his punishment inside a cell to prisoners, victims of starvation and beatings. His coworker Ampleforth has been arrested, as has his neighbor Parsons. O'Brien enters and reveals himself as a possible agent from the Ministry of Truth. A security guard smashes Winston's elbow having a club. It hurts. Bad.
Chapter Two: O'Brien attempts to "cure" Winston's "insanity" with torture. Winston agrees to anything O'Brien tells him and begins to love O'Brien as he can stop the pain sensation. O'Brien explains that the party has perfected something that will keep these things in power forever. They do not kill any prisoners until these are "cured."
Chapter Three: O'Brien tortures Winston more. He tells Winston that the party's true aim would be to remain in power forever by controlling things. Winston argues the party cannot control external events. O'Brien thinks otherwise, explaining that so long as the party controls your brain, anything can be done. O'Brien admits that Winston has yet to betray Julia, but doesn't appear too upset by it, knowing that eventually most people are cured.
Chapter Four: Winston is delivered to a more comfortable room, is fed regularly, and is no longer tortured. He still hates Big Brother and wants to die hating Big Brother being a last act of rebellion. He wakes up from your dream and shouts Julia's name more than once. O'Brien arrives and orders Winston to room 101.
Chapter Five: Winston's face is strapped to a cage that contains starving rats. Just before O'Brien pulls the lever to discharge them, Winston asks that Julia take his place. With the final betrayal complete, the torture stops.
Chapter Six: Winston sits at the Chestnut Tree Cafe drinking Victory Gin and accepting everything Big Brother says. He has met with Julia once since released but neither had any curiosity about continuing their relationship. After news of an great war victory, Winston acknowledges he loves Big Brother.
Analysis: Evil wins. All it took was weeks of torture, a cage brimming with rats, and enough gin to paralyze a rhinoceros. I love Big Brother.