1984 blog #5

"It was my little daughter. She listened at the keyhole. Heard what I was saying, and nipped off to the patrols the very next day" (Orwell 233).
          Parsons is still proud of his children, even though one of them has most likely condemned him to death. The fact that children would willingly give over their parents to death is gruesome, but even more so is the fact that the parents are genuinely proud of them for doing so. In this twisted and dark society, the family bond is absolutely shattered. Parents SHOULD be afraid of their children if they raised them according to party standards. This does lead one to question, however, whether or not a parent would turn their child in. It's so hopelessly sad that the children are so brainwashed that they would gleefully destroy their families. The concept of love does not really exist in this world, and this includes the love of child to parent.
         
          Parsons allowed his children to become this way because he was also brainwashed by the party. He is the "ideal" party member in all he does. However, how can he be the ideal member if he ends up being committed to death? This provides yet another paradox of the story; That someone can do absolutely everything right, and still be hammered into a wall by the party.