"We do not merely destroy our enemies; we change them"(Orwell 253).
The Party cannot reconcile itself to merely total physical control; it must control the mind, body, and soul of each member. But why? At this point, nothing is unfathomable in this book, but one question remains. Why. What is it to the Party to control the final minor thoughts of a dying man? Thoughts unspoken, never to be noted, never to start rebellion. Why take so much interest in conversion, if death is the automatic next step? Is it not a waste of time and energy, better used to cultivate hate or some other artificial emotions in the loyal Party members? What makes each thought so individually important? If no action can be taken, if the words agree with the Party, there is no value to whether or not the weakened, doubled over in pain, mindless victim truly believes in what they are saying. They have no way to act upon what they think, no way to alter the Party's political stance, so let them die with the inner peace that they stood strong. Or is this satisfaction, even in death, a threat?
No comments:
Post a Comment