Saturday, August 19, 2017

Why was Winston's concern for her a "curious emotion"?

At the beginning of part 2, chapter 1, Winston is walking towards the men's restroom when the mysterious dark-haired girl wearing a sling stumbles in front of him. As Winston goes to help the girl up, he notices an appealing look in her eyes that resembles fear instead of pain. Orwell writes, "A curious emotion stirred in Winston’s heart" (133). The curious emotion that Orwell refers to is Winston's sexual attraction and animosity towards the dark-haired girl. Winston initially believes that the dark-haired girl is a government spy who is an agent of the Thought Police. Despite Winston's malicious feelings towards the dark-haired girl, he is sexually attracted to her. Winston goes out of his way to avoid her but comes in contact with her for the first time when she purposely stumbles in front of him. As Winston watches her compose herself, he struggles to decide whether to view her as an enemy or a human being in pain. Instinct takes over, and Winston helps the girl up. Following their brief interaction, Winston notices that she had purposely slipped him a small note saying, "I LOVE YOU."

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