metimes it was fists, sometimes it was truncheons, sometimes it was steel rods, sometimes it was boots. There were times when he rolled about the floor, as shameless as an animal, writhing his body this way and that in an endless, hopeless effort to dodge the kicks and simply inviting more and yet more kicks in his ribs, in his belly on his elbows, on his shin, in his groin, in his testicles, on the bone at the base of his spine.”(Orwell, pp. 243-244)This was part of the physical treatment. He suffered week after week, month after month under these conditions. Under these conditions Winston became weak, physically and mentally. This makes it easier for authorities to tap into his brain. The manipulation process Winston goes through is long and strenuous. O’Brien formulates a simple question; “ ‘How many fingers am I holding up, Winston?’ ‘Four.’ ‘And if the Party says that is not four but five – then how many?’ ‘Four.’ ”(Orwell, p 206) While O’Brien is asking him questions his arms and legs are strapped into a device. When O’Brien turns a dial, Winston’s body is slowly being pulled apart causing unbearable pain. Each time he stubbornly answers a question wrong, the pain becomes stronger. This interrogation is painfully frustrating Winston. For O’Brien, it is delightful. He has the ability to control what people believe, by the turn of a dial. He motivates Winston to believe what he is forcing him to believe; “You must try harder. It is not easy to become sane.”(Orwell, p 207) Once he becomes sane and believes that O’Brien is holding up five fingers, the government has then successfully manipulated his *****9mind. This marks the elimination of a threat towards the system. Winston has metamorphosed into the product of a government operation. The procedure violated his train of thought and his freedom...
