1984 (1,6) The Prostitute

[monk222]

Winston is back in his flat and writing in his diary. Apparently the dark-haired girl has stimulated a lot of thoughts in him, and he needs to work out something that is eating away at him. A couple of years ago, Winston had a few dollars in his pocket and he needed to scratch an itch.

Consorting with prostitutes was forbidden, of course, but it was one of those rules that you could occasionally nerve yourself to break.... And it was easy enough, provided that you could avoid being caught in the act. The poorer quarters swarmed with women who were ready to sell themselves. Some could even be purchased for a bottle of gin, which the proles were not supposed to drink. Tacitly the Party was even inclined to encourage prostitution, as an outlet for instincts which could not be altogether suppressed. Mere debauchery did not matter very much, so long as it was furtive and joyless, and only involved the women of a submerged and despised class. The unforgivable crime was promiscuity between Party members.

His encounter was certainly furtive and joyless. Even better, from the Party’s perspective, it was absolutely traumatic. Down in the prole quarters, he hooked up with a broad wearing caked on make-up, and when it was too late to retreat, he realized that she is an old, old woman, even toothless. Nevertheless, he admits, “But I went ahead and did it just the same.” His skin still crawls in the memory of this desperate debauch, his whole being cringing.

Ah, man, we’ve all been there, dude!