Horrifying Room 101

True to form, the movie version of 1984, was effective in conveying the torture scenes in Room 101. Aside from accurately quoting lines from the novel, the director did maintain Orwell’s overall tone. The agony Winston went through in Room 101 was brought to life by the screams of terror heard in the movie version. Although the torture scenes seemed horrifying when read on paper, the level of suffering was exacerbated on film. Hearing and seeing Winston’s fear of rats, really emphasized to the viewer, why he ended up surrendering and asking O’Brien to “Do it to Julia,” instead of himself. Viewers were able to put themselves in Winston’s shoes and feel the fear that Winston was experiencing with more of their senses of hearing and listening being outright bombarded. The director of the film fully captured Orwell’s purpose of Room 101. However, the ending of the film could have been more exact to the novel. After his visit to Room 101 in the book, Winston is released from The Party’s prison and is sent back to live his life. The book is concluded with Winston playing chess and listening intently for any news from the African front on the telescreen. One of the last lines of the novel states that Winston loves Big Brother. Yet, I do not feel that this sentiment is conveyed through the movie. In the movie, Winston also ends up playing chess just like the novel. In spite of this, there is no clear indication that Winston loves Big Brother. Although there is a picture of Big Brother directly behind Winston, the ending is vague and does not stick to Orwell’s style.