"He would tie her naked to a stake and shoot her full of arrows like Saint Sebastian. He would ravish her and cut her throat at the moment of climax” (15).
Saint Sebastian is believed to have been a Roman soldier in 283 AD, who later became a Christian. When the Emperor learned of his belief in Jesus he was ordered to be tied to a stake and murdered. His unfaltering faith allowed him to live despite the many arrows shot at him. The scarlet sashed girl's faith in chastity is as strong as Saint Sebastian's faith in Jesus. The extreme totalitarianism in 1984, goes as far as controlling human nature. Winston hates the dark-haired girl because he has not lost these natural urges, while the girl's human nature has been transformed by the party. Orwell chose to use a reference to a Christian saint to show that Winston is rebelliously remembering the past, while the party wants to erase it from his memory.
~Saint Sebastain Life | St. Sebastian Biography. 02 Apr. 2009
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