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Room 101

 "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." - H.P. Lovecraft

I decided to start this blog post with a quote, because I think that this particular quote pinpoints an aspect of human nature that Orwell is both exploring and exploiting at the beginning of Part 3. Winston first hears whispers about Room 101 in the general jail, and these whispers reappear throughout his imprisonment in the Ministry of Love. The most memorable scene that includes Room 101 is when the emaciated man does everything in his will to prevent the guards from taking him there. However, we never are told what is inside Room 101. Even when Winston asks O'Brien directly, O'Brien will not answer.

For Winston, his fear of Room 101 is a fear of the unknown. Not knowing exactly what he's afraid of makes the fear worse. It's the same reason why so many people are scared of the dark and of death - this fear of the unknown. The Party is able to cultivate more fear surrounding Room 101 by keeping its contents private than by revealing its secrets to the prisoners. Similarly, by letting the reader imagine what Room 101 is, Orwell is cranking up the suspense and making the reader even more fearful of Winston's future.

Do you think that other prisoners actually know what is in Room 101, or do you think that it's all speculative and truly unknown?

Comments

  1. Alice Gao1 March 2021 at 07:49

    Ah well...I read ahead so I do in fact know. I'll try not to spoil it, but I do think that Orwell making it so mysterious adds to the suspense. It obviously cannot be unknown, otherwise the prisoners taken there won't continue being afraid of the room. I did think that the room was where they executed people, but that doesn't actually make sense (because if people are being tortured why wouldn't they want death?).

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  2. Alex Hynes1 March 2021 at 07:56

    I think the mystery of what is in there is the point of the room. There definitely has to be a real reason why people are scared of it, it not just an empty room with "fooled you" on the wall. We've seen how much the party uses psychological torture, so the mystery of Room 101 is probably by design. It seems to be another means of wearing down the prisoners (just look at the groveling guy when he hears he's going to 101). I don't know if people truly know what is in the room, but there is some knowledge of it if it can cause the kind of responses we've seem.

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  3. L. Moffitt1 March 2021 at 07:57

    It's kind of like the Meatloaf song (which actually I dislike a lot, but it seems apt): he would do anything for love but he won't do that. What is "that"? It depends who you are. What is in Room 101? Maybe the better question is what is in YOUR Room 101?

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  4. Anonymous1 March 2021 at 07:58

    I too have read ahead, but I definitely agree that the suspense of room 101 is doing a great job of controlling Winston and the other prisoners. Fabricating the idea of a "room 101" to scare prisoners into submission would be a really effective tactic for the Party to use, but unfortunately, Minilove doesn't seem to shy away from torture - why make up a horrific room 101 when you can make a real one instead?

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