"It was as though their two minds had opened and the thoughts were flowing from one into the other through their eyes."

— Orwell, George (1903-1950)


Work Title
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Secker & Warburg
Date
1949
Metaphor
"It was as though their two minds had opened and the thoughts were flowing from one into the other through their eyes."
Metaphor in Context
Momentarily he caught O'Brien's eye. O'Brien had stood up. He had taken off his spectacles and was in the act of resettling them on his nose with his characteristic gesture. But there was a fraction of a second when their eyes met, and for as long as it took to happen Winston knew -- yes, he KNEW! -- that O'Brien was thinking the same thing as himself. An unmistakable message had passed. It was as though their two minds had opened and the thoughts were flowing from one into the other through their eyes. 'I am with you,' O'Brien seemed to be saying to him. 'I know precisely what you are feeling. I know all about your contempt, your hatred, your disgust. But don't worry, I am on your side!' And then the flash of intelligence was gone, and O'Brien's face was as inscrutable as everybody else's.
Provenance
Reading
Citation
George Orwell, 1984 (London: Secker & Warburg, 1949).
Date of Entry
02/13/2017

The Mind is a Metaphor is authored by Brad Pasanek, Assistant Professor of English, University of Virginia.