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George Orwell 1 9 8 4<br />
forgotten. He opened his eyes and looked up<br />
gratefully at O’Brien. At sight of the heavy, lined<br />
face, so ugly and so intelligent, his heart seemed to<br />
turn over. If he could have moved he would have<br />
stretched out a hand and laid it on O’Brien’s arm.<br />
He had never loved him so deeply as at this<br />
moment, and not merely because he had stopped<br />
the pain. The old feeling, that at bottom it did not<br />
matter whether O’Brien was a friend or an enemy,<br />
had come back. O’Brien was a person who could<br />
be talked to. Perhaps one did not want to be loved<br />
so much as to be understood. O’Brien had tortured<br />
him to the edge of lunacy, and in a little while, it<br />
was certain, he would send him to his death. It<br />
made no difference. In some sense that went deeper<br />
than friendship, they were intimates: somewhere or<br />
other, although the actual words might never be<br />
spoken, there was a place where they could meet<br />
and talk. O’Brien was looking down at him with an<br />
expression which suggested that the same thought<br />
might be in his own mind. When he spoke it was in<br />
an easy, conversational tone.<br />
286<br />
acordaba de haber sufrido. Abrió los ojos y miró<br />
agradecido a O'Brien. Le conmovió ver a aquel<br />
rostro pesado, lleno de arrugas, tan feo y tan<br />
inteligente. Si se hubiera podido mover, le habría<br />
tendido una mano. Nunca lo había querido tanto<br />
como en este momento y no sólo por haberle<br />
suprimido el dolor. Aquel antiguo sentimiento,<br />
aquella idea de que no importaba que O'Brien<br />
fuera un amigo o un enemigo, había vuelto a<br />
apoderarse de él. O'Brien era una persona con<br />
quien se podía hablar. Quizá no deseara uno tanto<br />
ser amado como ser comprendido. O'Brien lo<br />
había torturado casi hasta enloquecerle y era<br />
seguro que dentro de un rato le haría matar. Pero<br />
no importaba. En cierto sentido, más allá de la<br />
amistad, eran íntimos. De uno u otro modo y<br />
aunque las palabras que lo explicarían todo no<br />
pudieran ser pronunciadas nunca, había desde<br />
luego un lugar donde podrían reunirse y charlar.<br />
O'Brien lo miraba con una expresión reveladora de<br />
que el mismo pensamiento se le estaba ocurriendo.<br />
Empezó a hablar en un tono de conversación<br />
corriente.<br />
‘Do you know where you are, Winston?’ he said. — ¿Sabes dónde estás, Winston? —dijo.<br />
‘I don’t know. I can guess. In the Ministry of<br />
Love.’<br />
— No sé. Me lo figuro. En el Ministerio del Amor.<br />
‘Do you know how long you have been here?’ — ¿Sabes cuánto tiempo has estado aquí?<br />
‘I don’t know. Days, weeks, months—I think it is<br />
months.’<br />
‘And why do you imagine that we bring people to<br />
this place?’<br />
— No sé. Días, semanas, meses... creo que meses.<br />
— ¿Y por qué te imaginas que traemos aquí a la<br />
gente?<br />
‘To make them confess.’ — Para hacerles confesar.<br />
‘No, that is not the reason. Try again.’ — No, no es ésa la razón. Di otra cosa.<br />
‘To punish them.’ — Para castigarlos.