Orville Kennedy
asked:
What was the deal with the rat? Did George explain it? I think it is very childlike to be afraid of a rat (without any convincing background). It makes the character rather shallow and childlike.
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Maddy Brennan
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Liam Murray
It's an everyday fear that many people have, just like spiders and thunder. In theory, this makes the situation more realistic by showing that the state can manipulate reality to subjugate and terrorize its citizens.
Kenzie White
Honestly, rats are definitely something to be afraid of. Besides being able to spread 36 different diseases, they can fit through holes with a diameter as small as 1/2 an inch, they can have kids at 6 weeks (the average litter size being 10-12 rats, not to mention the fact that they can get pregnant again within 24 hours of giving birth), they can hold their breath or a long time and can tread water for 3 days, they're tickilish (not scary but really weird), they can chew through stuff as hard as cinderblock, and also can go a long time without drinking water, and oh, did I mention that they are really smart? Like ranked up with chimps and dolphins smart.
Carter McLellan
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John
Rats are classic symbols of snitches and betrayal, particularly relevant to the story. Moreover, it implies Big Brother knew his fears, possibly because his girlfriend betrayed him.
M
Everyone has an irrational fear. The genius of the book is that the rats are the final torture. Winston was so broken down again and again and again. He barely had anything left to fight with. That's when the irrational fear, the one he could never conquer on his own in his rational state, breaks him the rest of the way.
Nathaniel Winston
We're all children,
And I'd have an irrantional phobia of one two if I witnesses them eating an infant when I was a child which is what the book suggests Winston saw.
And I'd have an irrantional phobia of one two if I witnesses them eating an infant when I was a child which is what the book suggests Winston saw.
Timothy Morrison
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Eightwaysanta
Rats are his fear/nightmare, room 101 is where they torture you with your very fears and nightmares.
William Redmond
I agree, it was out of nowhere. It could have been easily implemented earlier in the story in order to make that part of the narrative flow easier. The one point that could explain why it was written like that, however, would be to not make it predictable. I feel as though if we were aware of Winston´s fear of rats then that scene would lose a significant amount of it´s shock value and in turn it´s effect.
Victoria
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Orville Kennedy
Don't you think if Room 101 contains his mother and sister being simultaneously tortured with medieval torturing devices and raped by a pack of street dogs and as they lose their mind, our main character just stand there tied to a chair doing nothing?
For review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
But rat? Come on, getting your ball cut of is way more scarier! I know! How about genital mutilation! How about that?
For review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
But rat? Come on, getting your ball cut of is way more scarier! I know! How about genital mutilation! How about that?
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