Overview of chapter: what happens; is anything new introduced? Does anything stand out?
In chapter 6 Winston writes in his diary about him fornicating with a prostitute. While doing so he
reminisces about his short term marriage to a woman named Katherine almost 12 years ago.
•Close analysis of key elements.
❖ The party has control over the intimate feelings of humans.
❖ Love and sex are eliminated to increase loyalty to the party.
❖ Winston is urged to rebel against the party and have an intimate relationship. This can be
counted as a thought crime.
•Identify authorial choices and analyze these. Why have they been used? What is the effect?
“To embrace her was like embracing a jointed wooden image,” (Orwell 70). By comparing Katherine
to a wooden plank Winston emphasizes how uncomfortable being intimate with her is like. He starts
to dread every time they become intimate, this shows the reader that the Party has a negative impact
on the private lives of Party members.
“The unforgivable crime was promiscuity between Party members… it was difficult to imagine any
such thing actually happening,” (Orwell 68). This thought is ironic because it is unexpected to think
of having sex as something unnatural or abnormal. Winston thinking this way shows the reader that
the Party has completely changed the way people think and their propaganda has invaded their
minds.
•Symbols
“... Katherine’s white body, frozen for ever by the hypnotic power of the Party.” (Orwell 71).
The Party’s control over the private lives of Party members is emphasized by both Winston and
Katherine feeling uncomfortable while being intimate. “Desire was thoughtcrime,” (Orwell 71). Them
having no privacy is a symbol for how controlling the party is.
•Themes
❖ Love, Sex and Marriage: Love and sex are a way of bonding, something the party does not
want.
❖ Totalitarianism and loyalty: The party possesses the freedom of individuals and controls every
aspect of their lives, including their intimate relationships. They believe that by oppressing
individuals’ desires, they will achieve more loyalty.
❖ “The aim of the Party was not merely to prevent men and women from forming loyalties
which it might not be able to control.” (83)
❖ The only recognized purpose of marriage was to beget children for the service of the Party.
(84)
•Language
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