The main purpose of torturing Winston is to convert him and make him believe in the Party. Formerly, enemies were punished and many became martyrs. Check these notes for some other ideas.
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/1984/section9.rhtml
A study question for George Orwell's "1984":
Why is what the Party does to Winston UNLIKE other times in history when enemies were dealt with?
The answer's going to be somewhere from the beginning of Part Three to Ch. IV, I'm just not sure what to answer. I know in this section Winston is tortured by O'Brien with the dials, is that it? A bit confused here...thanks for the help!
2 answers
I just remembered the term for that kind of torture -- brainwashing.
http://people.howstuffworks.com/brainwashing.htm
http://people.howstuffworks.com/brainwashing.htm
2 answers