O'Brien goes through internal wars with himself throughout various chapters of the book, but a prominent conflict is on pages 42 and 43,
"It was a moral split. I couldn't make up my mind. I feared the war, yes, but I also feared exile. I was afraid of walking away from my own life, my friends and my family, my whole history, everything that mattered to me." [page 42]
O'Brien's internal conflict sprang up from his inability to choose war or flight. He didn't want to fight in a war that he didn't believe in--quite understandable in my opinion. He believed that if one supported the war, that one should fight. So here he was, Uncle Sam tugging on his right arm and Canada tugging on his left. He was stuck because his country didn't understand the war anymore than he did. This had to have ripped him apart inside because he did not share his emotions with anyone. O'Brien is excellent at capturing the audience by appealing to actual human sense. He shows that his character O'Brien was nervous and scared while torn between a life-altering decision-- all of which are typical human traits.
"It was a moral split. I couldn't make up my mind. I feared the war, yes, but I also feared exile. I was afraid of walking away from my own life, my friends and my family, my whole history, everything that mattered to me." [page 42]
O'Brien's internal conflict sprang up from his inability to choose war or flight. He didn't want to fight in a war that he didn't believe in--quite understandable in my opinion. He believed that if one supported the war, that one should fight. So here he was, Uncle Sam tugging on his right arm and Canada tugging on his left. He was stuck because his country didn't understand the war anymore than he did. This had to have ripped him apart inside because he did not share his emotions with anyone. O'Brien is excellent at capturing the audience by appealing to actual human sense. He shows that his character O'Brien was nervous and scared while torn between a life-altering decision-- all of which are typical human traits.
July 7, 2010 at 10:18 PM
check