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1984 Winston A Tragic Hero Analysis

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Aristotle defines a tragic hero as “a literary character who makes a judgement error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction”. The definition of a tragic hero also explains that a tragic hero is not an ordinary person, and that his/her downfall occurs for a greater cause. Although the modern depiction of a tragic hero is of course different than that of Ancient Greek times, the underlying characteristics and traits of one remain the same. In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, the main character Winston, although displaying some characteristics that a tragic hero would possess, ultimately does not fit the role of a tragic hero. One of the most obvious reasons that Winston is not a tragic hero is because of the fact that a tragic hero is defined as unordinary, possessing something great about him/her. However, Winston is very ordinary. Despite the fact that he has a secret dislike for the Party, he works for the Party and actively participates in Party-related events. In the beginning of the novel, Winston is gathering for Two Minutes Hate with other people who work in the same building, and while he expresses the uneasy feeling that the event gave him, he also states that he cannot help but join in on the cheering and shouting. Orwell explains, “In the Two Minutes Hate he could not help sharing in the general delirium, but this subhuman chanting of …show more content…

He does not have a hamartia and his downfall proved to have no greater purpose. While it is true that in modern times, the tragic hero may be seen differently than when Aristotle first defined him/her, and some characteristics have the capability to be tweaked to accommodate modern society, there are concrete parts to a tragic hero that cannot change and must be present in order for a literary character to be labeled as

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Many a literary critic claims that the strongest aspect of the book 1984 by George Orwell is its plot. Indeed, there is some merit in this conclusion, as the entire purpose of Orwell’s writing of this book was not to create a literary classic, but to warn the public about the dangers of communism if it got out of hand, and what better way to do this than to write an engaging plot? Others may claim that 1984’s greatest strength is in its character development. This aspect, too, is quite strong in the book, as not only are the minor characters effected in serving the dystopian theme, but the major characters are believable and very human in their failings. Winston’s transformation from an oppressed office worker to revolutionary and finally

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In the Ancient Greek tradition, a tragedy includes Hamartia which is, Peripeteia, Nemesis and Hubris. Hamartia is the hero’s tragic flaws. Peripeteia is when the hero has a reversal of their fate, nemesis is the consequences of the hero’s actions and hubris is an overwhelming pride. An example of a tragic hero would be Walter White from Breaking Bad. Walter White goes from loving family man to a drug kingpin in a short couple of years, showing his ultimate undoing and demise.

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The choice between conforming to societal standards and remaining an individual is similar to choosing between freedom and oppression. Individuality is the distinction between qualities of oneself and others, requiring independent thoughts and opinions. Conformity grasps the idea of accepting ideal behavior and notions. In two powerful dystopian novels, 1984 by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the main characters struggle to rise up against the standard behavior of society. However, only one succeeds, while the other accepts to conform.

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The aforementioned quotes illustrate the extent of Winston’s desire for change and revolution, which can be inferred by the structure, language, and context present in the quotes. For example, the leading quote displays Winston’s desperation for change, as seen by the use of “hope” and the simple sentence structure of the statement. The use of “hope” shows that Winston’s desires hinge upon the proles, thereby illustrating the extent of his nonconformity; he is willing to place the burden of his own humanity upon the undereducated masses of society, because they are not restricted by the party’s orthodoxy, as opposed to viewing them as mindless cattle. Similarly, the simple sentence structure of the leading quote displays the certainty of

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Almost always, in Greek tragedies a “tragic hero” has a hamartia, or tragic flaw, which will cause their concluding demise. In the Greek playwright, Antigone written by Sophocles, the interesting character, Creon, is a prime example of this. According the Aristotle’s theory, to be a tragic hero you have to have three traits: a flaw, a fall, and acceptance of your current situation. Creon’s flaw is his ego, which blinds him and lures him to do rather profane activities. Due to Creon’s ego, him losing everything caused by that very hamartia, and acceptance of the series of unfortunate events that occurred; Creon is the tragic hero in Antigone

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Webster’s dictionary defines a hero as “a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities; a person who is greatly admired; the chief male character in a story, play, movie, etc.” Looking at the list, Winston only fits one of these criteria. Winston is not a hero, even though he is the protagonist in this story. His actions and behavior throughout the book is unbecoming of a hero, and in the upcoming paragraphs, I will discuss what discredits him as a hero.

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According to Aristotle the characteristics of a tragic hero are to provoke sad emotions, such as pity or fear, from the audience. When these sad emotions are provoked from the audience, it is hoped that after seeing the tragic hero leading themselves to downfall or death it will transform the audience into good human beings. The characteristics of a tragic hero are shown through Blanche in the play A Streetcar Named Desire, showing tragic flaws. Hamartia is when a tragic flaw causes downfall for a hero.

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The tragic hero is a character in a book that comes from a noble background that has a tragic flaw which brings the character the greatest suffering which results in their downfall. In “Antigone”, there are two characters who can be considered the tragic hero of the story: Creon and Antigone. Antigone is a brave and fearless women who dies for a noble cause, while Creon is a controlling and powerful king of Thebes. Both Creon and Antigone have qualities to make them the tragic hero, but Creon is the true “tragic hero” because his hamartia causes his downfall. Creon is the tragic hero of “Antigone” because his hubris muddles his judgment and makes him cause his own undoing.

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He is considered a man of misfortune that comes to him through an error of judgment.” Notice that Aristotle uses the words he, man, and him and not she, woman, or her. This hints that the tragic hero must be a man, not a woman. A tragic hero must also have certain characteristics such as hubris, hamartia, peripeteia, anagnorisis, nemesis, and catharsis. These all mean that the character’s tragic downfall must have a beginning, middle, and end and emanate a feeling of pity and fear in the audience.

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Winston had occasionally showed signs that he could be a hero. However, it was never in his own, it was only when Julia was with him. He just isn’t cut out to be a hero. He was never looking out for other and all of his

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During the story of 1984 Winston reveals himself as a heroic figure. His willingness to fight against the untouchable party forces him to risk his own life in many ways. Even Winston thinking poorly of the party was a very punishable crime. Even when he is being punished for his crimes he keeps proving himself a hero as he wonders and pushes to discover why the society is being run the way it is. He is also very stubborn to the thoughts of the party.

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According to Aristotle, "A man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall. An Aristotelian tragic hero must possess specific characteristics such as flaw or error of judgment (hamartia), a reversal of fortune brought about because of the hero's error in judgment, the discovery or recognition that the reversal was brought about by the hero's own actions, excessive pride (hubris) and the character's fate must be greater than deserved (The Poetics). In the end these factors lead to a fatal demise to which they are destined. Corresponding to Aristotle’s genre of tragedy Macbeth is in fact a tragic hero. Although his actions do not bestow nobleness, other characters imply that he is honorable for example when Duncan states “True, worthy Banquo.

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The decisions we make have the ability to impact our future/life paths and unwise decisions can result in major consequences. The novel 1984 by George Orwell and the short story “On the Rainy River” by Tim O’Brien equally represent the fact that when we make decisions, they largely impact what lies ahead in the future. Orwell and O’Brien both investigate and answer the essential question in their stories through such things as the theme, characters, plot, etc. The characters in these stories both make major decisions throughout the plot which, in result, alters the outcome of their futures. In George Orwell’s 1984, the main characters, Winston and Julia, begin to rebel against the government and the enforced rules.

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George Orwell’s novel 1984 presents us two characters who are entirely different, but still complement each other entirely, the protagonist Winston and his love-interest Julia. Julia’s optimistic character highlights Winston’s fatalistic one. Winston believes he and Julia are compatible and can relate to each other because they share the same believes. They both detest Big Brother and want to rebel against the Party. While this is true, their similarities seem to end there.

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Aristotle describes a tragic hero as a man or woman of high standing who is capable of great suffering. He or she possesses many good qualities, but displays a single, fatal, character flaw which results in the character's downfall. Because of Aristotle's definition, Antigone would be considered a tragic hero. Antigone is a tragic hero first because of her high standing. She is the daughter of Oedipus and a princess of Thebes.

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