1984 — Chapter-by-Chapter Notes
Use this as you read - important points and questions for each section
🏚️ Part One: The World of Big Brother
Chapters 1–4: The Diary and the Ministry
What Happens
- Winston Smith returns to his grim apartment at Victory Mansions. He avoids the “telescreen” and starts a secret diary.
- He works at the Ministry of Truth, rewriting history to match the Party’s current narrative.
- He encounters the “Dark-Haired Girl” (Julia) and O’Brien, a high-ranking official he suspects is a fellow rebel.
Important Points
- The Four Ministries: Truth (lies), Peace (war), Love (torture), and Plenty (starvation).
- The Diary: A fatal act. “Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime IS death.”
Questions to Consider
- Why is Winston’s act of writing a diary so dangerous?
- What does the “Two Minutes Hate” reveal about how the Party controls emotion?
Chapters 5–8: Newspeak and the Proles
What Happens
- Winston talks to Syme about the new edition of the Newspeak dictionary.
- Winston visits the “Prole” districts, hoping to find a link to the past. He buys a glass paperweight in an antique shop run by Mr. Charrington.
Important Points
- Syme and Language: Syme explains that the goal of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought.
- The Paperweight: It represents Winston’s desire to recover a fragment of the past—something “useless” but beautiful.
Questions to Consider
- Why does Winston believe that “if there is hope, it lies in the proles”?
- What is the significance of the nursery rhyme “Oranges and Lemons”?
❤️ Part Two: The Rebellion of the Body
Chapters 1–4: The Meeting and the Room
What Happens
- The dark-haired girl passes Winston a note that says “I love you.”
- They begin a secret affair, meeting in the woods and eventually in the room above Mr. Charrington’s shop.
- Julia reveals her own form of rebellion: it is personal and sensual, not ideological.
Important Points
- The Political Act: “Their embrace had been a battle, the climax a victory. It was a political act.”
- Julia’s Rebellion: Unlike Winston, she doesn’t care about the past or Goldstein’s book; she just wants to break the rules to have fun.
Questions to Consider
- How do Winston and Julia’s reasons for rebelling differ?
- Why is the Party so concerned with controlling sex?
Chapters 5–10: The Fall
What Happens
- Winston and Julia visit O’Brien at his luxurious apartment. He admits them into the “Brotherhood.”
- Winston reads “The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism.”
- They are suddenly arrested in their secret room. Mr. Charrington is revealed as a member of the Thought Police.
Important Points
- The Brotherhood: O’Brien asks them if they are willing to do anything (murder, sabotage) for the cause. They say yes.
- The Arrest: The paperweight is smashed. The “coral” inside is tiny—just like their tiny, fragile world.
Questions to Consider
- Was O’Brien’s trap obvious? Why did Winston want to believe him so badly?
⛓️ Part Three: The Ministry of Love
Chapters 1–6: Interrogation and Room 101
What Happens
- Winston is tortured in the Ministry of Love. O’Brien is his chief interrogator.
- O’Brien explains the Party’s philosophy: Power is not a means; it is an end.
- Winston is taken to Room 101, the place of “the worst thing in the world.” For Winston, this is rats.
- He betrays Julia, shouting “Do it to Julia! Not me!”
Important Points
- The Philosophy of the Boot: “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever.”
- The Betrayal: The Party’s final victory is not killing the rebel, but making the rebel destroy their own soul by betraying the one they love.
Questions to Consider
- Why is it not enough for the Party to simply kill Winston?
- What is the difference between “learning,” “understanding,” and “acceptance” in Winston’s re-education?
📝 Your Notes
Write your reflections on “Doublethink” and the ending of the novel here:
Chapter-by-Chapter Notes created: 2025-12-25
For Great Literature 105 - Book 01 of 10