The Parsons

The Parsons are Winston's neighbors we are introduced to in the first few chapters of 1984. Winston decides to write a diary, which is highly illegal and is punishable by death. He buys himself a diary at a store run by the Proles. While Winston is writing in his diary, he hears a knock at the door and he thinks its the thought police, but when he answers, the door it's his neighbor Mrs. Parsons. She asks him to help her with her plumbing because her husband is out of town. When Winston goes to her apartment, he is automatically tormented by her children. Her children are part of the Junior Spies, which is an organization who monitor adults to make sure that they don't disobey the Party. The whole time Winston is helping Mrs. Parsons, her children accuse him of a thought crime. Mrs. Parsons is scared of her children, and Orwell shows this when he says, "Mrs. Parsons's eyes flitted nervously from Winston to the children, and back again." As a reader, it can be concluded that Mrs. Parsons is afraid of her children because they are part of an organization that deals with the Party which means if she does anything wrong at all she will be reported by her own kids. This shows that the "society" that they "live" in is not healthy or much of a life at all.