Part II — Chapter X

Winston wakes beside Julia in Mr Charrington’s attic room, listening to a prole woman singing as evening falls. Contemplating the woman’s strength and fecundity, Winston reaffirms his faith that hope lies in the proles and declares, “We are the dead,” which Julia echoes.

An iron voice from behind the picture repeats, “You are the dead,” revealing a hidden telescreen. Ordered to stand still, Winston and Julia comply as boots surround the house. The picture crashes down, exposing the device; men in black uniforms storm the room while a thin, familiar voice recites the nursery rhyme.

Winston struggles to remain motionless to avoid a beating. An officer smashes the coral paperweight, shrinking Winston’s symbol of the past to a tiny fragment. Another officer punches Julia in the solar plexus; she is carried out, gasping and unconscious, as Winston watches helplessly.

In the stunned aftermath, Winston’s scattered thoughts fix on trivialities until Mr Charrington enters. Dropping his cockney accent and appearing younger and alert, Mr Charrington orders the fragments picked up, exposing himself as a member of the Thought Police. Winston recognizes, with finality, that their sanctuary and illusions have been destroyed.