213.英文正文（213）

「youdonotexist，」saido』brien。

onceagainthesenseofhelplessnessassailedhim。heknew，orhecouldimagine，theargumentswhichprovedhisownnonexistence；buttheywerenonsense，theywereonlyaplayonwords。didnotthestatement，「youdonotexist」，containalogicalabsurdity？butwhatusewasittosayso？hismindshrivelledashethoughtoftheunanswerable，madargumentswithwhicho』brienwoulddemolishhim。

「ithinkiexist，」hesaidwearily。「iamconsciousofmyownidentity。iwasbornandishalldie。ihavearmsandlegs。ioccupyaparticularpointinspace。noothersolidobjectcanoccupythesamepointsimultaneously。inthatsense，doesbigbrotherexist？」

「itisofnoimportance。heexists。」

「willbigbrothereverdie？」

「ofcoursenot。howcouldhedie？nextquestion。」

「doesthebrotherhoodexist？」

「that，winston，youwillneverknow。ifwechoosetosetyoufreewhenwehavefinishedwithyou，andifyoulivetobeninetyyearsold，stillyouwillneverlearnwhethertheanswertothatquestionisyesorno。aslongasyouliveitwillbeanunsolvedriddleinyourmind。」

winstonlaysilent。hisbreastroseandfellalittlefaster。hestillhadnotaskedthequestionthathadcomeintohismindthefirst。hehadgottoaskit，andyetitwasasthoughhistonguewouldnotutterit。therewasatraceofamusementino』brien』sface。evenhisspectaclesseemedtowearanironicalgleam。heknows，thoughtwinstonsuddenly，heknowswhatiamgoingtoask！atthethoughtthewordsburstoutofhim：