The
Greatest Fear
In the final chapters of 1984 by George Orwell, it goes into detail what Winston experienced
after being captured and sent to the Ministry of Love. In chapter five, Winston
is taken to room 101, the most dreadful room, to be tortured after screaming
out Julia’s name multiple times. In this room, O’Brien presents Winston with
his worst nightmare- a cage full of enormous rats. O’Brien had threatened
Winston by saying that he would let these rats devour Winston’s face. When the
ravenous beasts were just inches away from his face, Winston broke emotionally and
screamed that Julia should receive this torment instead of him. Winston had
betrayed the women whom he had grown to love because of his great fear.
After reading chapter five, it caused me to think of the
fears I have. Even though I have a vast hatred for repulsive, filthy things
such as rats, mice, spiders, roaches and things of that nature, I believe that
my greatest fear would be being subject to grotesque torture. For example, I do
not believe I would be able to handle being put in an electric chair, being
skinned alive, being decapitated slowly, being dismembered, set on fire, etc.
All of these things are ways to harm someone slowly so that they will suffer to
the greatest degree before dying. All of these things are very inhumane, and I
believe that if I was faced with this, I just might break physically and
mentally. If someone told me that I would have to betray those that I love or
denounce my religion, I believe that I would hold out for as long as I could,
but I seriously do not know what I would do, because I have never been faced
with this situation. All in all, this is my greatest fear.
In conclusion, I do not sympathize with Winston seeing
that he is not a real human being, but I do understand why he eventually broke.
Human beings can only take so much. Every single person has a fear and a breaking
point, no matter whether they are an “average Joe”, or a part of a militia. I
do sympathize with those that have been subject to such monstrous persecution,
especially if they have done nothing wrong. I can’t wait for the day, as
described in Isaiah 65:17, where things such as persecution “will not be called
to mind, neither will they come up into the heart”.
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