1984 Ch.1-3

So far Wilson's biggest conflict is that he isn't content with the Ingsoc lifestyle in Oceania, and doesn't necessarily approve of it. In the first couple pages of the book, he thinks back to days before Oceania: "He tried to squeeze out some childhood memory that should tell him whether London had always been quite like this" (Orwell 7). The fact that he tries to think outside the box and question the lifestyle shows that he longs for the truth behind Oceania's "history" and that there is something wrong within the society. Also, it becomes obvious that he doesn't like the way society is run when he starts a diary, even though he knows it is a thought crime and can be fully punished for it: "His pen had slid voluptuously over the smooth paper, printing in large neat capitals- DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER, DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER over and over again, filling half a page" (19). After writing this, he felt panicked showing that he wanted to do it, yet knew it was wrong. If he was content with his life, he wouldn't have written this diary in the first place or felt guilty about writing it either. Winston's knowledge is also different from others, and it is clear to see in the Two Minutes Hate when he makes eye contact with O'Brien: "Momentarily he had caught O'Brien's eye...It was as though their two minds had opened and their thoughts were flowing from one into the other through their eyes. 'I am with you,' O'Brien seemed to be saying to him. 'I know all about your contempt, your hatred, your disgust.' And then the flash of intelligence was gone, and O'Brien's face was as inscrutable as everybody else's" (18). It is clear to see that Winston sees something wrong in the activities and the people participating in it. He doesn't like anything at all, but has to act like he does to avoid getting punished or vaporized. This is, after all a society that every person needs to blend in to because any "outcast" or "individual" is a threat to the leaders of the party. In chapter two when he continues his diary and writes "To the future or to the past, to a time when thought is free..to a time when truth exists and what is done cannot be undone" (27), it shows that he is yearning for society to be free, and is sick of abiding by the same ridiculous rules everyday. He wants to be different and knowledgable but knows he can't do such a thing.