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What are Winston Smith's apartment and the view of London from his window like? What do these details suggest about his life?

In 1984, Winston Smith must live a strictly monitored and horrendously bleak life--his apartment and the view from his window reflect this.


He has a spartan apartment that is almost wholly dominated by a telescreen he can never ever turn off. As such, because the telescreen is able to both transmit and record audio and visuals, Winston has to constantly control himself even in the privacy of his own apartment. 



"You had to live - did live, from habit that became instinct - in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized." 



Therefore, because Winston can never be sure when he is not being monitored, he needs to control his every sound and movement. He states that, though it is safe to have your back turned to a telescreen, "even a back can be revealing." In the above ways, Winston's apartment reflects how he must live a controlled life or face being punished by the Thought Police. It also plays into one of the overall themes of 1984--freedom and enslavement. 


The view of London from Winston's apartment depicts how almost all those living in Oceania, under the totalitarian eyes of Big Brother, experience a fearful and bleak existence. Winston can see a large poster of Big Brother proclaiming "Big Brother is watching you" and the street below is painted as cold and unforgiving. Not to mention Winston can see all of the government ministry buildings. However, the Ministry of Love (in charge of punishment and law) intimidatingly stands out in Winston's mind and against the London skyline. 



"The Ministry of Love was the really frightening one. There were no windows in it at all. . . .It was a place impossible to enter except on official business, and then only by penetrating through a maze of barbed-wire entanglements, steel doors, and hidden machine-gun nests."



This desolate and unyielding world outside Winston's apartment speaks to how Winston has weathered his wretched environment and can only rebel with small acts or thoughts. 


No matter what, Winston can never wear his true thoughts on his sleeve because, in truth, Big Brother is always watching him and all other Party members.  

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