1984 7

"'How can I help it? he blubbered. 'How can I help seeing what is in front of my eyes? Two and two are four.' 'Sometimes, Winston. Sometimes they are five. Sometimes they are three. Sometimes they are all of them at once. You must try harder. It is not easy to become sane.'" (251)

These two short sentences show many things about how the Party works, and how Winston doesn't understand how people can make people act in such a brainwashed way. It also served as a turning point for Winston, as this was the first time he was really told how he needs to think. Orwell will often give his biggest hints and most important plot twists in dialogue, which he does in this quote. He uses these lines from O'Brien and Winston to show the reader that nothing to do with the Party relies on traditional logic. Every revelation after this moment for the rest of the book is all somehow tied back to the 2+2=5 comment. O'Brien is trying to "cure" Winston of his free thoughts, and at this moment, the reader is still convinced that it will not break his spirit and that he will never betray Julia. In the end, however, it is ultimately this moment that provides the first inkling of betrayal to Julia in Winston's mind.