1984 #6

"It was as though they were intentionally stepping nearer to their graves. As she sat waiting on the edge of the bed he thought of the cellars of the Ministry of Love. It was curious how that predestined horror moved in and out of one's conscienceness. There it lay, fixed in future time, preceding death as surely as 99 precedes 100. One could not avoid it, but one could perhaps postpone it: and yet instead, every now and again, by a conscious, willful act, one chose to shorten the interval before it happened" (Orwell, 140). This quote proves how much Winston and Julia were willing to put on the line for the simplest things, such as seeing eachother and conversing for a half an hour. It also states how in this time, it was almost impossible for the thought of death or being vaporized to escape your mind for any long period of time. The concept of "thoughtcrime is death" is also brought back in this quote when saying "there it lay, fixed in future time, preceding death as surely as 99 precedes 100". In saying this, it is being said that it is 100% certain that what they were doing, such as their secret meetings and having sex, is surely going to lead to their deaths. It clarifys the fact that in this world, there is virtually no way to avoid being vaporized, but following all the rules the party has set will allow them to live longer. Winston and Julia do not care much. Rather than living long lives as robots, they are easily shortening and shortening their lives with every sneaky act of freedom they take.