The Idea of Betrayal

 In the end of the second book, and the beginning of the third, there is the huge betrayal by Mr. Charrington, where Winston and Julia are stormed by the Thought Police and then jailed in the Ministry of Love. As I read this, I started thinking about the idea of betrayal, and more specifically why it is so prevalent.


I think that betrayal is used so often because 1. It is one of the worst things that can happen to someone, and, as such it is an easy way to introduce tragedy into the story, and 2. Since the reader gets to know the character who commits the act of betrayal, it allows the reader to connect further with the story and sympathise with the betrayed.

What do you think? Is it simply a mechanism to connect the reader to the story and introduce more emotion, or is there another reason why betrayal is such a popular trope?

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