Healing In 1984 By George Orwell

Healing is described as making someone physically, emotionally, or spiritually healthy to better their whole self. In George Orwell’s 1984 Winston Smith is described as mentally insane and must be 'healed' to become sane once again. His lover Julia helps him to withstand the change due to their love. Also, his torturer O'Brien pushes the idea of his unhealthy mental state challenging Winston’s mind. Finally, his own self is responsible for his healing process.

In 1984, Winston Smith is a rebellious character who is against the inner party and Big Brother. The party believes in complete control of all citizens. They control the privacy with surveillance cameras, microphones, the telescreens that are never allowed to be turned off, monitoring

When O’Brien shows Winston his deteriorating self and tries to persuade Winston into believing that he did it to himself, Winstons fights back, recalling that there is only one thing he did not betray, “ I have not betrayed Julia…. Had not stopped loving her”(286-287). The only way for the Party to gain full control is for them to gain Winston’s emotional behavior and thinking since that is what Winston proves to hold on to since he has yet to betray Julia. Julia is proven to be the greatest contributor to Winston’s healing. When Winston is in room 101, he has gone through every torment and still believes he has not betrayed Julia since he still loves her. As Winston is put to the final test, rats, he cannot withstand the rats and forfeits his emotions stating, “ Not me! Julia! I don’t care what you do to her!” (300). Winston is deemed saved and released back into society. The love that Winston had for Julia in a way blinded him so that he continued to have uniqueness compared to the rest of the environment. When he gave up on her, he became a “sane” person

In the case of Winston, he drives himself to rebellion. He is considered a rebel due to his lack of commitment to the party and has a relationship outside of marriage with Julia; he is not fully involved in the idea of Newspeak and has rebellious thinking that is against the party and Big Brother. He is not a firm believer in the wants of the party and how Oceania is dictated so, he begins with his first written rebellious thoughts, “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” (20). This is the greatest treason since Big Brother is considered the God. Once he is captured and placed in torture, he pushes himself to believe that he is not deteriorating, he is not betraying Julia, he is still human, “ Do you consider yourself a man? Yes.” (282). After a continuous struggle Winston is able to carry out his rebellion. However, when room 101 is put into a factor of torture in Winston’s world, he gives up hope in a change occurring in the way Oceania is governed. Winston no longer cares for Julia or rebelling against the Party. He lives out his days drunk and lenient to what occurs around him, moving with the constant flow, “Through the midday hours he sat with glazed face, the bottle handy, listening to the telescreen” (307). The final transformation was completed when he began to love Big Brother. He had restored all the rebellion within him and thought his final thought, “I love Big Brother” (311). Winston