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 surely an unimportant person in Ingsoc, the controlling party of Oceania. As he labors inside the stairs to his apartment, he passes several posters of Big Brother, the embodiment of party leadership, who the truth is represents oppression, but to citizens represents all of 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 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 hopes for his mother, of the naked girl running toward him, and of Shakespeare, the 3 of which represent thoughtcrime. He awakens on the telescreen's shrill cry of exercise time.
Chapter Four: Winston travels to work at The Ministry of Truth. His job is to falsify past records to be conform to current reality.
Chapter Five: Winston eats lunch with Syme, an expert on Newspeak, the state run language with the party, whose purpose is usually to reduce the quantity of words and render thoughtcrime impossible.
Chapter Six: Winston records his newest sex act in his diary, a disgusting affair with a Prole prostitute with no teeth. He longs to get a meaningful romance, what he considers the best rebellion contrary to the party.
Chapter Seven:



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Winston writes in his diary that this only hope influences Proles, the working class. He longs girls number for friendship a sense with the past, covers a children's history book, and realizes any record of the past is controlled from the party and it has been falsified.
Chapter Eight: Winston wanders to the Prole district and buys a paperweight with the same store he bought the diary. He notices a female from the Ministry of Truth and fears he or she is being followed. He contemplates smashing her face in having 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 produced illegal as much as possible that make life enjoyable: family ties, sex, romantic love, the freedom to consentrate, great literature, and anything that involves introspection. Although Oceania has no specific laws prohibiting any one of Winston's actions, his actions are outward signs he has committed the ultimate 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 might be a fellow conspirator.
Chapter One: The girl who earlier Winston desired to strike inside the face using a cobblestone passes him an email that says "I thank you." It takes several attempts, however the two can converse and schedule a meeting at Victory Square. Winston feels he's got a reason to reside in.
Chapter Two: The two meet within the country and take part in romantic love acts.
Chapter Three: The two resume normal party lives and have the ability to meet simply for short amounts of time. They rendezvous with an abandoned church. Winston realizes that Julia just isn't interested in an extensive rebellion. She is only interested in outsmarting the party and achieving intercourse.
Chapter Four: Winston rents a room 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 worthwhile.
Chapter Five: Syme disappears (as WInston predicted earlier). Winston constantly considers 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 is just not sure if this can be a sign from your underground or if he's a measure closer to his doom.
Chapter Seven: Winston and Julia visit their rented room frequently. They know they'll eventually be captured and tortured which renting the room is stupid. They continue to 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 that they will deliver a magazine containing the secrets with 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 through the next couple weeks. Finally, Winston is able to escape to his rented room where he reads the novel given him by O'Brien. The book explains the worthiness and specification of War is Peace, Ignorance is Strength, and Freedom is Slavery.
Chapter 10: As it turns out, Mr. Charrington is a an affiliate the Thought Police and there is a telescreen behind the picture within the room above his shop. Winston and Julia are arrested.
Analysis: The moment WInston, Julia, and the various readers have all been expecting finally occurs in the end of chapter 10. The only question remaining is whether or not Winston and Julia betray the other. Don't you hate it whenever 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 mind poem" has haunted me since part one and should have been a hint to Winston that both Charrington and O'Brien just weren't to be trusted.




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Chapter One: Winston awaits his punishment in the cell 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 in the Ministry of Truth. A security guard smashes Winston's elbow which has 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 because he can stop this. O'Brien explains how the party has perfected a process that will you can keep them in power forever. They do not kill any prisoners until they are "cured."
Chapter Three: O'Brien tortures Winston more. He tells Winston the party's true aim would be to remain in power forever by controlling everything. Winston argues that the party cannot control external events. O'Brien thinks otherwise, explaining that so long as the party controls the mind, anything may be possible. O'Brien admits that Winston has yet to betray Julia, but doesn't appear too upset by it, understanding that eventually everyone is cured.
Chapter Four: Winston is delivered to a more comfortable room, is fed regularly, and is not tortured. He still hates Big Brother and wants to die hating Big Brother as being a last act of rebellion. He wakes up from a dream and shouts Julia's name many times. O'Brien arrives and orders Winston to room 101.
Chapter Five: Winston's face is strapped to a cage made up of 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 in the Chestnut Tree Cafe drinking Victory Gin and accepting everything Big Brother says. He has met with Julia once since being released but neither had any desire for continuing their relationship. After news of the great war victory, Winston acknowledges he loves Big Brother.
Analysis: Evil wins. All it took was weeks of torture, a cage filled with rats, and enough gin to paralyze a rhinoceros. I love Big Brother.