Student Question
What is in the briefcase given to Winston in 1984 and why is it important?
Quick answer:
The briefcase given to Winston contains a copy of Goldstein's book, which is critical for understanding the Party's manipulation and control over Oceania. It symbolizes Winston's rebellion and hope for overthrowing Big Brother. However, it is a trap set by O'Brien, a Thought Police member, to expose Winston's dissent. The briefcase, initially a symbol of potential freedom, ironically leads to Winston's arrest and downfall, highlighting the futility of his resistance.
In Part Two, Chapter Eight, O'Brien arranges to give Winston a briefcase:
At some time during the day, in the street, a man will touch you on the arm and say “I think you have dropped your brief-case.” The one he gives you will contain a copy of Goldstein’s book. You will return it within fourteen days.
As arranged, Winston receives the briefcase the day before Hate Week begins but is so busy that he is unable to open it immediately and look at its contents.
The significance of this briefcase cannot be overstated. Inside, it contains a copy of "the book," penned by Goldstein, an enemy of the party. This book contains the truth about the party's hold on the people of Oceania and explains how they use war as a means of manipulating and controlling the people.
Receiving the briefcase, then, is symbolic of Winston's open state of...
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rebellion. He has outed himself to O'Brien and voiced his anti-party sentiments. Receiving the briefcase is representative of his commitment to the resistance movement and his desire to overthrow Big Brother and create a new society.
In an ironic twist, however, it is later revealed that this was all a ruse. O'Brien is, in fact, a senior member of the Thought Police who has used the briefcase to detect Winston's thoughtcrime. So, while the briefcase came to symbolise Winston's freedom from the party's control, it now becomes the symbol of his downfall. In Part Two, Chapter Ten, the briefcase and the book lead directly to his arrest and his torture at the hands of O'Brien.
In addition to the above answer, Winston has wanted to find a conspiracy or group working against the government for a long time. He thinks he has found this in O'Brien. Remember, Goldstein, the author of this special book, is alleged to be such a leader of conspirators.
Winston's average ability makes him ill-equipped to deal with conspiring against the government, but his ability to still think makes us as a reading audience wonder at his ability to achieve something great. Not knowing what he will do with the item, for Winston this book is a symbol of possible freedom or release from this world. It is a potential key to working for a cause to thwart the wrong of Big Brother.
In the previous chapter, O'Brien has told Winston that a man will give something to Winston by pretending that Winston has dropped his briefcase. The man will be giving Winston a copy of Goldstein's book.
Goldstein's book is of special importance to Winston because Winston wants to understand the way his society truly works. The book lays out the whole thing -- it tells what the Party's goals are and it tells (in great detail) how the Party goes about achieving these goals. So, by reading the book, Winston is going to be able to completely understand his society and (he hopes) how to change it.