1984 blog #2

"Nothing was your own except for the few cubic centimeters inside your skull" (Orwell, 27).

This quote is referring to the universal presence of Big Brother and the thought police, but it relates to, and twists the larger theme that the only person you can truly trust is yourself. Winston has realized that he cannot trust anyone else not to betray him for his traitorous thoughts, and that, beyond this, he cannot even trust himself to correctly interpret the body language of others for fear of misinterpreting. In the book, everyone hides themselves behind a mask of mundane blandness, for fear of being punished by the thought police. This takes away any potential for "inappropriate" interpersonal communication, as they cannot speak of, motion of, or even think of topics detrimental to the "government". The thought police trap citizens within themselves, and then goes further to trap them into virtual nothingness. The idea that even your thoughts may not be your own is frightening to say the least, which is why this story goes beyond the idea of only being able to trust yourself. This story takes away the safe haven that we are taught to retreat to when we cannot voice our thoughts to the world. Winston cannot trust his comrades, the government, or his own perception and thoughts. This is the true mark of the oppressive government-  forcing people to trust their leaders above their own personal morals and thoughts.