George Orwell: 1984 Chapter Summaries

Make sure you will get the most out of 1984 with 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 definitely an unimportant part of Ingsoc, the controlling party of Oceania. As he labors up 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 in his diary, the possessing which constitutes thoughtcrime.
Chapter Two: Winston hears a knock with the door and fears it does not take 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 hopes for his mother, of your naked girl running toward him, in addition to Shakespeare, all three of which represent thoughtcrime. He awakens for the telescreen's shrill cry of exercise time.
Chapter Four: Winston goes to work at The Ministry of Truth. His job is usually to falsify past records to make them conform to current reality.
Chapter Five: Winston eats lunch with Syme, a professional on Newspeak, the state language from the party, whose purpose is usually to reduce the number of words and also to render thoughtcrime impossible.
Chapter Six: Winston records his newest sex act in their diary, a disgusting affair using a Prole prostitute without any teeth. He longs for the meaningful romance, what he considers the best rebellion contrary to the party.
Chapter Seven:



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Winston writes in his diary the only hope is within the Proles, the functional class. He longs for any sense in the past, accumulates a children's history book, and realizes any record in the past is controlled by the party and contains been falsified.
Chapter Eight: Winston wanders in the Prole district and buys a paperweight in the same store he bought the diary. He notices a lady from the Ministry of Truth and fears he or she is being followed. He contemplates smashing her face in with 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 consentrate, great literature, and anything involving introspection. Although Oceania does not have any specific laws prohibiting any one Winston's actions, his actions are outward signs he has committed the greatest crime, thoughtcrime.
Book One introduces the various readers 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 may be a fellow conspirator.
Chapter One: The girl who earlier Winston planned to strike in the face having a cobblestone passes him a communication that says "I love you." It takes several attempts, however the two can easily converse and schedule a meeting at Victory Square. Winston feels he has a reason to call home.
Chapter Two: The two meet within the country and take part in romantic love acts.
Chapter Three: The two resume normal party lives and find a way to meet just for short durations. They rendezvous with an abandoned church. Winston realizes that Julia is not interested in an extensive rebellion. She is only thinking about outsmarting the party all night . intercourse.
Chapter Four: Winston rents a space above Mr Charrington's shop, where he purchased the diary and also the paper weight. He realizes it's actually a huge risk but he feels it's worth every penny.
Chapter Five: Syme disappears (as WInston predicted earlier). Winston constantly ponders the room above Charrington's shop, considering what goes on there, I think we understand.
Chapter Six: O'Brien stops Winston inside hall and provide him his address. Winston just isn't sure if this is a sign in the underground or if he's a pace closer to his doom.
Chapter Seven: Winston and Julia visit their rented room frequently. They know they will eventually be captured and tortured understanding that renting the area is stupid. They carry on and rent it anyhow and promise each other they are going to remain loyal.
Chapter Eight: Winston and Julia visit O'Brien and discuss the underground with him. He promises Winston he will deliver a magazine containing the secrets in the underground.
Chapter Nine: Oceania is not really at war with East Asia. It's at war with Eurasia. This forces Winston and his awesome Ministry of Truth coworkers to log 96 hours throughout the next couple of weeks. Finally, Winston can escape to his rented room where he reads the ebook given him by O'Brien. The book explains the significance and concept 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 then there is a telescreen behind the picture in the room above his shop. Winston and Julia are arrested.
Analysis: The moment WInston, Julia, and the various readers have all been waiting for finally occurs in the end of chapter 10. The only question remaining is actually Winston and Julia betray each 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 cut off your head poem" has haunted me since part one and really should have been an idea to Winston that both Charrington and O'Brien are not to be trusted.




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Chapter One: Winston awaits his punishment in a cell Whatsapp Friendship to prisoners, victims of starvation and beatings. His coworker Ampleforth may be 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 which has a club. It hurts. Bad.
Chapter Two: O'Brien efforts to "cure" Winston's "insanity" with torture. Winston agrees to anything O'Brien tells him and starts to love O'Brien as he can stop the pain. O'Brien explains how the party has perfected something that will have them in power forever. They do not kill any prisoners until they may be "cured."
Chapter Three: O'Brien tortures Winston more. He tells Winston how the party's true aim is always to remain in power forever by controlling all things. Winston argues that the party cannot control external events. O'Brien thinks otherwise, explaining that providing the party controls your head, anything may be possible. O'Brien admits that Winston has yet to betray Julia, but doesn't appear too upset by it, realizing that eventually so many people are cured.
Chapter Four: Winston is taken up a more comfortable room, is fed regularly, and is no longer tortured. He still hates Big Brother and wants to die hating Big Brother like a last act of rebellion. He wakes up from the dream and shouts Julia's name repeatedly. O'Brien arrives and orders Winston to room 101.
Chapter Five: Winston's face is strapped to a cage which has starving rats. Just before O'Brien pulls the lever to release them, Winston asks that Julia take his place. With the final betrayal complete, the torture stops.
Chapter Six: Winston sits in the Chestnut Tree Cafe drinking Victory Gin and accepting everything Big Brother says. He has met with Julia once since developing but neither had any curiosity about continuing their relationship. After news of your great war victory, Winston acknowledges he loves Big Brother.
Analysis: Evil wins. All it took was weeks of torture, a cage full of rats, and enough gin to paralyze a rhinoceros. I love Big Brother.