OBriens
psychological attacks onbegin when he manipulates Winston into believing that he is a member of
the Brotherhood rather than a committed member of the Inner Party. Luring Winston into revealing
his secret hideout at the pawnshop, OBrien sets up the surveillance that helps capture both
Winston and . Once Winston is imprisoned in the Ministry of Love, within Winstons torture,
OBriens psychological abuse complement the physical attacks inflicted on him. OBrien first
undermines Winstons self-confidence by insisting that Winston had actually known that OBrien was
a staunch loyalist. By having his taunts matched with the guards blows, he makes Winston
associate OBriens presence with fear of physical assault and the related pain.
As the torture progresses, between the beatings and the drugs, Winston is often fuzzy,
so he strongly suspects but cannot be sure that OBrien was directing the interrogation. When he
gains enough consciousness to fully understand his situation, he finds himself strapped to a
device that could break his back. OBrien ruthlessly reminds him of his vulnerable position and
plays mind games with his memory. He twists the facts one way and then the other so that Winston
cannot be sure if any of his memories are of events that ever occurred. By making Winston
question reality itself, he makes the man into his own worst enemy.
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