What might Syme have been thinking when he was captured?

Question

I understand that Syme was vaporised because he overthought the concept of the newspeak, but would he have regretted being an avid follower of Big Brother and destroyer of language?

Answer 1

Most likely. Syme, according to his characterization, seems to think himself "above" vaporization, much like Bernard Marx from Brave New World. He thinks that he's smart enough and cunning enough to see through the plans of the government and to get away with it, which he isn't, as Winston realizes almost immediately. He would probably regret being such a zealous follower, thinking "ah, if I'd only joined the Brotherhood, or kept my head down, I wouldn't be in such a pickle." It's unlikely that he would show little regret like the beetle-eyed man in the office, because while Syme is an ardent follower of the Party, he's not ardent to the point of self-sacrificial devotion.