Tuesday, July 6, 2010

In 1984 by George Orwell, who offers the starving prisoner a piece of bread?

In the novel, a starving man in Winston's cell sits on a bench near him. Initially, no one suspects that the man is starving, but eventually, his strange, skull-faced demeanor gives him away. Another prisoner, 2713 Bumstead J, takes a grimy piece of bread from his pockets to share with the starving man.


However, Bumstead's act of compassion is caught on camera, and he is dealt a ferocious blow by an officer which leaves him bleeding and badly bruised. Eventually, another officer orders the starving, skull-faced man to Room 101. When the starving man hears this, he becomes frantic. He begs the guards to kill him and even tells them that he will consent to seeing his wife and three children have their throats cut in front of him. In short, he will do anything and betray anyone, as long as he does not have to go to Room 101.


Eventually, he tells the guards to take Bumstead in his place. The starving man proclaims that it is Bumstead who is against the Party. However, the guards are unmoved. After one last desperate struggle on the part of the starving man, the guards take him away to Room 101.

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