1984 by George Orwell

Section One, Part IV Analysis (pp. 37-48)

Because Winston is directly involved with changing the past, he is less susceptible to the effects of a mutable past. It is this job that increases his awareness of this phenomenon. O'Brien will later force Winston to see the past as it is dictated, by using "doublethink", showing that a mutable past is a physical expression of "doublethink".

Winston's description of how the Part deals with offenders foreshadows the process he will endure (and be threatened with) later in the novel. Death is scary enough, but to never have existed is especially terrifying. Winston's discussion of people reappearing before disappearing forever informs the reader what will happen to him after the end of the novel: he will be shot.

By having the workers compete against each other in a furtive manner, Orwell underscores how the Party continually pitches members of its populace against one another. Fascist regimes operate in a similar manner: members of the populace are essentially frightened into informing on each other.

Finally, Winston's creates Comrade Ogilvy, an ideal citizen of Oceania, who is a violent, unloving soldier. By highlighting the personal traits the Party finds valuable, Orwell reinforces the dystopian feel of the novel: living in this time would be truly terrible for most people. The creation of Comrade Ogilvy is also an example of how easily reality can be manufactured in the world of the novel.