When Winston and Julia spend time together one day in their secret hideout above Mr Charrington's shop, Winston abruptly wakes up from a nightmare
He dreamt of the traumatic war experiences of his childhood. Among other things, his dream was about starving his mother and sister while stealing from their food rations. The sense of shame for his behaviour in the dream still lingers with Winston, even as he realises it was only a dream
Winston is furious that the Party forbids raw emotions and feelings since it is these feelings that make life worth living
The couple realises that they cannot hide from the party and "Big Brother" (p. 3, l. 22) in their small room forever. But for the moment, they cannot give up the love nest yet, as it is the only place for them to be intimate with each other
Chapter 8
Info
page: 180-192
place: O'Briens flat
time: the next day
people: Winston, Julia, O'Brien
Content
Winston decides to take Julia with him to O'Brien's flat. The fact that they go there together carries an enormous risk of being caught, but it is worth the danger to them
One circumstance that makes them a little more comfortable is that O'Brien, as a member of the inner party, can switch off the telescreen and they are thus undisturbed
Since Winston and Julia feel safe in the presence of O'Brien's switched-off screen, they tell him about their resistance to the regime and that they are meeting secretly
Winston and his girlfriend profess to want to support O'Brien in his underground struggle against the totalitarian state in any way they can. O'Brien tells them that the opportunist and former leader of the party Emmanuel Goldstein exists
Before Winston and Julia say goodbye to O'Brien, he assures them that he will send them Emmanuel Goldstein's manifesto
