1984 (1,7) At the Chestnut Tree Cafe

[monk222]

One thing that I do like about the Jones, Aaronson, and Rutherford story is that it takes us into the Chestnut Tree Cafe, for one reason why their story stuck in Winston’s mind is that he ran across them at that somewhat Bohemian den not long after their arrest and confessions. Although they were out and about, we know that this is the way that Big Brother plays with his enemies, like a cat with his ball of yarn. Winston understood: “They were corpses waiting to be sent back to the grave.”

The three men sat in their corner almost motionless, never speaking. Uncommanded, the waiter brought fresh glasses of gin. There was a chessboard on the table beside them, with the pieces set out, but no game started. And then, for perhaps half a minute in all, something happened to the telescreens. The tune that they were playing changed, and the tone of the music changed too. There came into it - but it was something hard to describe. It was a peculiar, cracked, braying, jeering note; in his mind Winston called it a yellow note. And then a voice from the telescreen was singing:

“Under the spreading chestnut tree
I sold you and you sold me:
There lie they, and here lie we
Under the spreading chestnut tree.”

The three men never stirred. But when Winston glanced again at Rutherford’s ruinous face, he saw that his eyes were full of tears, And for the first time he noticed, with a kind of inward shudder, and yet not knowing at what he shuddered, that both Aaronson and Rutherford had broken noses.

Big Brother does have his sardonic sense of humor. Absolute power corrupts absolutely and doubtlessly makes its wielders rather demented.