In this chapter, Winston has been trying to figure out how
to get a chance to meet with the girl (we will later find out that her name is Julia).
He no longer thinks that she is a spy for the Party (like he did before this chapter.
However, he is still afraid when he is trying to meet her. His fear is that she might
have changed her mind so that she is no longer interested in him. Orwell tells
us
...but now a terrible fear had taken possession of him.
A week had gone by since she had first approached him. She would have changed her mind,
she must have changed her mind! It was impossible that this affair should end
successfully; such things did not happen in real
life.
There are two ways to interpret this. First, he
might simply be afraid for his life. He might fear that she will betray him and he will
be killed. However, you can also argue that he is experiencing a more normal fear of
rejection and embarassment. He might just be worried about how stupid he'll feel if he
gets "shot down."
So, his greatest fear is that the girl is
no longer interested in him. He may be afraid for his life or he may be afraid of
looking stupid, or both.
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