Discomfort Literary Analysis

“Never, for any reason on earth, could you wish for an increase of pain. Of pain you could wish only one thing: that it should stop. Nothing in the world was so bad as physical pain. In the face of pain there are no heroes, no heroes”. This quote from Winston Smith in the novel, 1984 describes how much pain Winston has endured, due to torture and enhanced interrogation. Winston is tortured, mainly because he committed thought crime, treason against the Party, and sexual misconduct, with no means of reproducing. Smith was put through agony and hurt, and simply said anything that came to his mind. His pain leads to him becoming overwhelmed with an unpleasant sensation and being unable to suffer any further, which brought him to his limit.

            Winston is put through much anguish, to weaken his mental and physical state, making him somewhat conforms to society. O’Brien forces Winston to understand that two plus two is five, a doublethink principle he constantly questioned. When Winston does not agree with any of the Party standards, he is strapped to a chair, and O’Brien turns up the discomfort mechanism dial to a certain level. In this manner, Winston finds himself entrapped, with no ways of conforming to his own ideas, without risks of further torment. This gives meaning to the portion of the quote that states “In the face of pain there are no heroes”. Winston affiliation with the Brotherhood meant if he was ever caught he couldn’t breakdown. He releases all information he possibly knows, by means of discontinuing his plan towards becoming a hero and rebelling against the Party.

            Winston endures much pain that causes him to go through lasting hurt. His plan towards sacrificing his life for the Brotherhood, no matter what, suspends his ability to protect the secret society and adhere to all procedures. Near the end of Chapter two Winston begins to question his aptitude to stay loyal to the Brotherhood and himself. Smith’s pivotal statement, “Never, for any reason on earth, could you wish for an increase of pain. Of pain you could wish only one thing: that it should stop”, explains why Winston begins to conform to society. All in all, instead of becoming loyal to self and the Brotherhood, the agony of torture begins to fall on him, bringing about his allegiance to Big Brother.