1984 by George Orwell: Study Guide
(NB: Some questions refer to Huxley’s Brave New World – this is FYI)
Book One, Chapters 1-2
What bothers Winston?
What is wrong with his society?
What are the three slogans of the Inner Party?
What are the four ministries?
What items are written in italics?
How does the Two Minute Hate work?
What happens to W. during the chant?
What happens between O’Brien and W.?
During the film (p.11), how did the audience react?
What is “thoughtcrime”?
What is the Thought Police?
Who are the Parsons and what do they represent?
How do the Parsons’ children behave?
What is W’s dream about O’Brien?
What is announced on the news? (p.25)
Book One, Chapters 3-4
What is W’s dream about his mother? How does he feel about himself in that dream?
What is his dream about the “Golden Country”?
What does he remember about the big events of the past? Bombs? Past Wars?
Explain the Party slogan, “Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the
past”.
What does he know about the legends concerning Big Brother??
What is the significance of Comrade Ogilvy?
Book One, Chapters 5-7
What is the problem with obtaining razor blades?
What is revealed about Inner Party philosophy in the discussion between W and Syme?
Why does W feel that Syme will be vaporized?
Parsons brags about his children for doing what?
What is the significance of the telescreen announcement? (p.51)
What are W’s feelings about the present time after he hears the cheerful announcement on the
telescreen?
W predicts that certain people will be vaporized and that certain people will never be vaporized. Who?
Why?
What is the purpose of marriage in the state?
What do W’s memories about visiting a prostitute reveal about his attitudes towards sex in Oceania?
How does W view the proles?
How are the proles controlled (prole control)?
What lies/half-truths does the Party teach about history?
W suspects that the Party lies about progress made since the war. What Party claims does he doubt?
What is the story of Aaronson, Jones and Rutherford?
Why is this story so meaningful for W?
What is W’s unanswered question?
Book One, Chapter 8
Why does W go off on his own? What activities is he missing out on?
What is life like in the proles’ end of London?
What does W think about after his conversation with the old man in the pub?
What does W discover at Mr. Charrington’s shop?
What is Mr. Charrington like?
What does W think when he sees the dark-haired girl outside Mr. Charrington’s shop?
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How does W think when he sees the dark-haired girl outside Mr. Charrington’s shop?
How does one’s body betray a person?
Why does W wonder about church bells ringing in London?
Book Two, Chapter 1
How does W react to the note from Julia before he reads it?
How does W react to the note after he reads it?
How do they manage to meet?
Describe the “parade” in Victory Square. Why does the Inner Party provide the spectacle for the proles?
For the Outer Party members?
Book Two, Chapter 2
Why is W ill at ease once he is alone with Julia?
What does Julia bring with her that she has obtained on the black market?
What is Julia’s philosophy? (More about this in Chapter 3)
What familiar sign does W find?
What is the significance of the thrush music?
What does W mean when he says that he loves Julia all the more because she had scores of sexual
encounters?
Compare/contrast this to the situation in a related novel, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.
Book Two, Chapter 3
How and where do Julia and W meet?
What is Julia’s job?
What is her background?
What is her attitude toward the Inner Party?
Describe W’s marriage.
What do W and Julia disagree about?
Book Two, Chapter 4
How does W react to the singing prole woman?
What pleasures of the senses are mentioned in this chapter? What is Orwell’s point in mentioning them?
(Also, notice the difference between the dystopian society in BNW and that in 1984 regarding gratification
of the senses.)
What is W’s reaction to rats? Julia’s reaction?
W is interested in the church bells that once played in the city even though he is not religious. What do
church bells mean to him?
W sees the coral paper weight as a symbol of what?
Book Two, Chapter 5-6
Who has vanished?
Describe the preparation for Hate Week. In what ways does the Inner Party excel in building spirit?
Julia and W have some differences. Explain them.
What finally convinces W that O’Brien is a member of the Brotherhood?
Book Two, Chapter 7
What does W remember about his family and his relationship with his mother?
What does W realize about love and loyalty as a result of his dream?
What is the difference between confession and betrayal?
Book Two, Chapter 8-9 (through p. 151)
Contrast the living quarters and style of the Inner Party members with those of the Outer Party members
and proles.
How does O’Brien test Julia and W?
What information does O’Brien give them about the Brotherhood?
How will O’Brien get The Book to W?
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What are the ways in which the Inner Party builds spirit during Hate Week?
Book Two, Chapter 9 The Book (p. 151-164) Note: this part can be omitted.
Why does O include detailed passages from Goldstein’s Book in 1984?
Notice that O repeats the 1st paragraph of The Book on p. 152 & p. 166. Why would O repeat himself in
that way? What is the purpose?
What 3 classes of people have always existed? (p. 152)
In what ways have 3 classes changed? (p. 152)
What is the purpose of war in the world of 1984?
What are the two aims of the Party?
What are the 2 problems with which the Party is concerned?
Why do all 3 superpowers forbid their citizens from associating with foreigners?
The governments of the 3 superpowers are alike in essence even though their forms of gov’t have
different names. Identify these similarities and explain why they exist?
What is the real “war” (p. 164) fought in each of the 3 governments? Your answer will explain the party
slogan, “War is Peace”.
What are the aims of the 3 grps? (p. 166-167)
What changes in the pattern occurred in the 19thC?
How did socialism change in the 20thC?
Why are the rulers in the 20thC better at maintaining power than earlier tyrants?
What are the 4 ways an elite grp falls from power? (p.170-171)
How does the Inner Party make certain it will not fall from power? (p. 171-172)
How is a person’s class determined in the 1984 world?
What is doublethink and what is its purpose to the ruling class?
Why is mutability of the past important to the ruling class?
Why will this ruling class live on while earlier tyrants fell?
What other significant points do you notice?
Book Two, Chapter 10
What understanding does W gain about the common people?
What is the significance of the glass paperweight here?
Book Three, Chapter 1
Where is W? How is he treated there and why?
Which of W’s acquaintances is in the same place and why?
What happens between the starving man and the chinless man?
What effect do the words “Room 101” have on the skull-faced man?
Who truly is O’Brien? What do he and Charrington have in common?
Book Three, Chapter 2
What sort of treatment does W receive? (p 198-200)
What is O’Brien attempting to teach W? (p. 201-207)
P. 209-211: O’Brien explains how the Inner Party avoids the mistakes of past totalitarian governments.
State in your own words what O’Brien means.
What effect does the (painless) shock treatment have on W? (p. 212-213)
What questions does W ask O’Brien and what are the responses?
Book Three, Chapter 3
According to O’Brien, what are the 3 stages in W’s re-integration, and which stage is he about to enter?
Who wrote Goldstein’s book? Is what the book says true? (Notice the answer in its entirety, p.215-216)
Why does the Inner Party seek power and how does this reason differ from the reasons of the Soviet
Communists under Stalin and the Nazis?
Explain the slogan, “Freedom is Slavery”?
How does one person assert their power over another?
How will Oceania differ from all traditional utopias? (p. 220)
Why does W feel he is morally superior to O’Brien and how does O’Brien prove that W is wrong?
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How does W’s physical appearance affect him?
What good thing can W say about himself at the end of this chapter?
How does W feel about O’Brien? Why?
What final question does W ask O’Brien? (p.225-226)
How is the Inner Party’s philosophy different from the Controller Mond’s philosophy in Brave New World?
Book Three, Chapter 4
How has W’s environment changed? What does he do with his time? How does he show his obedience to
the Inner Party?
How does W show that he is not entirely true to Big Brother?
How does W feel about Big Brother?
Book Three, Chapter 5
What happens in Room 101 and how does this “cure” W?
Book Three, Chapter 6
What is the setting?
What is W’s job? (Look up “sinecure”.
How did W’s meeting with Julia go?
How is it evident that W really is a different person?
What is happening in the last two paragraphs of the book?
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