#11- 1984

"Once again the sense of helplessness assailed him. He knew, or he could imagine, the arguments which proved his own nonexistence; but they were nonsense, they were only a play on words. Did not the statement, 'You do not exist,' contain a logical absurdity? But what use was it to say so? His mind shriveled as he thought of the unanswerable, mad arguments with which O'Brien would demolish him" (214).

    Winston knows what he believes to be real but O'Brien and the Party are planting alternate ideas in his head. The core of this doubt comes from the concept of existence. If Winston really does not exist outside of the mind, O'Brien is right when he says people can do anything the Party desires since "reality is inside the skull" (218).  However, as human beings we have the instinct to believe in our own existence. Interestingly enough, Descartes, the famous philosopher, shines light on both sides and one can begin to comprehend the conflict about "reality" that Orwell presents in Nineteen Eighty-Four. Descartes' principles were based on the idea that a point is false if there is any doubt whatsoever. Contrary to the Party's beliefs, he believed there is no doubt whatsoever that a person "exists" meaning that is the absolute truth. However, he is also the person who said, "I think therefore I am," and this would adhere with the Party's beliefs. Using both of these philosophies, the truth about "existence" can easily be twisted. In regard to this passage Winston "knows" he exists while O'Brien convinces him that he is not real. Based on Descartes' "I think therefore I am," this nonexistence becomes a reality. This paradox with truth and perception is a major theme running through all of Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Work Cited:
Skirry, Justin. "Rene Descartes (1596-1650): Overview." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 13 Sept. 2008. 24 Aug. 2010 <http://www.iep.utm.edu/descarte/>.

The photo is also from the above source.