Original artwork, not a still
1984 · 1949
He loved Big Brother.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Four words that end the novel by telling the reader that the Party has won, not by killing Winston but by converting him. The earlier sentences let you feel the horror of it. People quote it when someone surrenders their own judgement to a leader, and as shorthand for the bleakest ending in twentieth-century fiction.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for 1984Show the scene
The last sentence of the novel, closing Part Three, Chapter 6. Winston has been broken in the Ministry of Love, released, and set loose to drink Victory Gin in the Chestnut Tree Cafe, where the telescreen announces a great victory in Africa. A bullet in the back of the head, which he has long expected, is still to come. He looks up at the huge portrait of Big Brother, understands at last what the smile under the dark moustache means, and finishes the book by loving him.
Sources (1)
- Nineteen Eighty-Four, full text (Project Gutenberg Australia)Part Three, Chapter 6, final paragraphReference checked
Context reviewed
