Penelope Waters Narrative

Penelope Waters

Penelope Waters was born in what we call London, England. At a very young age, like the rest of her comrades, she lost her parents during the beginnings of INGSOC. From then on, she was by herself. Survival of the fittest, as they say. She worked as hard as she could while growing up, devoting herself to the Party and Big Brother, doing everything she could to help out. She wanted to be the best! She strived for perfection.

But as the years wore on, Penelope’s mind began to wander. The stuffy routine began to feel dull, almost suffocating. She was tired of the same old routine, day in and day out. The rallies of the Junior Anti-Sex League also began to wear down on her, what was the point of it all? Was sex really so terrible? Why were they fed terrible food? Why was she stuck in the Outer Party, dressed in the same old outfit, in the same old apartment? Physical Jerks were a nuisance in the morning, and she had no one to talk to. Her job as an accountant made her head hurt, and she just wanted to sleep all day. Penelope was miserable, locked inside her own head.

So Penelope began to wander. Lashing out at people was entertaining, as she felt almost powerful when she turned “traitors” in. It was her way of controlling the situation. She abandoned her morals, ignoring the ideals of the Anti-Sex League and going off with numerous people, some men were Proles, some men were a part of the Inner Party.

But alas, all things must come to the end. She was informed that she had been caught sleeping with another comrade, Keith Miller. She was given the option of either joining the Brotherhood or being exposed, consequently being vaporized. Despite the dull life she lived, she didn’t want to die! Joycamps were also a grim prospect. So, she joined the Brotherhood. For a while, she avoided the Thought Police, recruiting more people to help with the cause. It was entertaining to her, it gave her the sense of power she craved. She continued to live her life as freely as she could, sneaking off to Prole neighbourhoods and sleeping around with whoever she pleased. But, unfortunately for her, it all came to a screeching halt.

Finally, the Party had caught up with her and had discovered her ties with the Brotherhood. Furthermore, the man she had been caught sleeping with, Keith Miller, was a part of the Thought Police. She was in a dire situation, with absolutely no way to escape. She was promptly sent to Room 101, tortured until she decided to change her ways. Unfortunately for her, she was incredibly stubborn. She wouldn’t agree to the Party, lashing out like a caged animal.

But as the months wore on, the beatings got to Penelope. She became a mindless zombie, a shell of what she once was. But she was too dangerous, there was the risk of the Brotherhood contacting her again.

So she was shot.

Penelope died quickly and painfully, unable to ever fully conform to the Party’s ways. To her, two plus two would always equal four.