Orwell, George — Nineteen eighty-four [689]

It appeared to Winston that a long time passed before he answered. For a moment he seemed even to have been deprived of the power of speech. His tongue worked soundlessly, forming the opening syllables first of one word, then of the other, over and over again. Until he had said it, he did not know which word he was going to say. ‘No,’ he said finally. — Orwell, George, Nineteen eighty-four, 689

Note

The dramatic climax of the catechism: a whole series of monstrous ‘Yes’s’ building to the one refusal, rendered beautifully as the body deciding before the mind—‘his tongue worked soundlessly, forming the opening syllables first of one word, then of the other.’ The word ‘Yes’/‘No’ pitched as involuntary discovery is the strongest beat in the chapter.