Conformity and originality are two concepts that define human life. Originality is the ability to think independently, whereas conformity means to comply with socially acceptable behavior. In 1984, both of these concepts are expressed through the actions of the Party, and protagonist Winston. Through Winston’s actions, Orwell expresses the costs of both originality and conformity. In 1984, the party brings in technology that forces the population into conforming. This is done so that they can control the population easier, and manipulate them into believing the party’s ideals. To do this, they firstly make everyone wear the same clothes, eat the same food, and live in the same conditions. This creates a situation where it is impossible for …show more content…
The individualists in this world are seen as the rebels, as they work against the way the Party wants to operate. Winston’s real rebellion begins when he starts meeting Julia. Once he becomes close with Julia, he starts expressing himself, showing more of his actual character and not the face he puts on for the party. This allows Winston to become more of an individual, and separate himself from the Party life. Orwell illustrates the positive affect that this gain in independence has on Winston on page 157. Orwell states that Winston, “ had grew fatter, his varicose ulcer had subsided” and had stopped drinking gin after becoming more independent. By Winston going through this sudden change in health, Orwell illustrates that individuality makes life more tolerable, happy, and gives a positive affect on people in …show more content…
Winston lives both lives in this book. At the beginning, he fears death, and hides his true personality so that he doesn’t get caught. Although not being himself, he stays alive. Whereas when he becomes an individual, he becomes happy for the period of time before being captured, and suffers immensely for it. For Winston however, he knew that he would inevitably be captured for meeting Julia, it was just a moment of time, and however still continued to meet her. This means that Winston understands that he will suffer for his individuality, but values it too much that he can’t be without it. Through this, Orwell gives his answer that he believes it is better to suffer for your individuality than