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Examples Of Heroism In 1984

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Finally, the last component of Winston Smith’s heroism that must be taken into consideration is his character. More specifically, it is a matter of which attributes allow him to be a hero that readers can admire and emulate – a cardinal aspect to any literary hero. For Winston, it is his demonstration of courage, selflessness, and determination throughout the novel that explicitly makes him prevail as the respected hero of 1984, in spite of his failure to endure his hatred for the Party. To begin, it is only natural to start with Winston’s courage, as this makes its first appearance early in the novel when he purchases the paperweight from the junk-shop: “It was a queer thing, even a compromising thing, for a Party member to have in his possession” …show more content…

With this act of rebellion against the oppressive system of Oceania, Winston showcases his courage because he does all of this to aid him in his journey towards uncovering the truth of the past. Next, there is the selflessness that Winston possesses. For this specific quality, it is shown most prominently when Winston gets into a disagreement with Julia on their goals for their rebellion. During this argument, Winston firmly states that the reason for his desire to obtain and keep incriminating records of the Party’s lies is so that they can be left behind, thereby allowing for “‘the next generations [to] carry on where [they] leave off’” (196). From this, Winston demonstrates how unselfish he is because, rather than worrying about himself – like Julia – he wants actual change and progress to come as a result of his rebellion. Therefore, despite the fact that obtaining proof against the Party is tremendously risky, Winston has no problem with doing so because it gives future generations a chance at having a better

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In the novel 1984, outward conformity is crucial to the survival of the citizens of Oceania. One character in particular who practices this extremely well is the main character, Winston Smith. He not only conforms outwardly, but also questions his society inwardly, due to the overhanging fear that Miniluv will find and torture him. Winston constantly questions Big Brother and all of the laws that the citizens of Oceania are required to obey while also inwardly questioning his forbidden romance with Julia. Without this rising tension throughout the novel, 1984 would lose its suspenseful tone and would easily lose the focus of readers.

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The main character, Winston, changed with the issues at hand. Throughout the beginning and middle of the book, Winston was set apart from everyone else; he had a rebellious soul. Rather than conforming and thinking like the majority, he felt the need to communicate with the future about the world’s current state. His diary was his first major act of rebellion. Then, his affair with Julia was a desire fulfilling act, and it went against the governing party’s rules.

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542 Words | 3 Pages

On the other hand, Winston was not someone the party needed to fear. His rebelling actions against the party were minor, therefore not influential or effective enough to overthrow the party. A reason why Winston’s rebellious acts toward the party were ineffective in addition to the small size, was due to the fact that his actions were under surveillance. In the narrative of 1984, one of Winston’s prized possessions was also his most illicit-a diary.

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748 Words | 3 Pages

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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911 Words | 4 Pages

As a result of the constant indoctrination, Winston succumbs to the Party’s way of thinking and “loves Big Brother” (Orwell, 300). When the Party destroys him, everything that he took pride in including freedom of expression, love and individuality is destroyed along with him representing that he had “won victory over himself” (Orwell, 300). Although he gives up all of the things which provide him happiness, this sacrifice has been made for selfish reasons as it is made to allow him to live ‘freely’ within

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908 Words | 4 Pages

Winston recognizes the oppressiveness of The Party. Within the first pages of the novel, Winston describes the Thought Police spying on all of the people of Oceania through telescreens: “Any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it” (3). Big Brother is always watching him, among all the other people in Oceania. Big Brother is the wall in the way of Winston’s freedom. Winston later acquires a diary and knows that it is a crime punishable “by death, or at least twenty-five years in a forced-labor camp” (6).

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438 Words | 2 Pages

In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, Winston Smith’s empowerment and ability to rebel against the Party lies in the relationship and loyalty he shares with Julia. At the beginning, Winston is weak and frightened to revolt against the Party. Furthermore, Winston is emotionally weakened and frustrated because the dark-haired girl he desires seems distant and cold to him. However, when the girl named Julia declares her love for him, their relationship’s fidelity strengthens Winston. Julia helps him towards redeeming himself from his shameful past.

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Winston Smith shows characteristics of a dystopian protagonist

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599 Words | 3 Pages

Winston still saw through these charades. Thus, perhaps one of Orwell’s most unsettling ideas, the Thought Police, are introduced. In general, if a person is to show any signs of thought contradictory to party ideals, they will be guilty of “thoughtcrime” and will, thus, be “vaporized” or erased from existence. This is ultimately Winston’s fate, but through it, it is revealed just how power-hungry the Party really is. Rather than simply ending Winston’s life, it is seen how they go to the trouble of converting Winston, beforehand, coercing him towards a love of Big Brother.

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1156 Words | 5 Pages

Did George Orwell actually portray Winston Smith as a hero in the critically acclaimed novel 1984? According to the Merriam Webster-Dictionary heroism is defined as “heroic conduct especially as exhibited in fulfilling a higher purpose or attaining a noble end.” Acts of heroism are performed all over the world by various individuals in all walks of life. Today, acts of heroism are constantly announced on the news, internet, and by word of mouth.

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1514 Words | 7 Pages

Winston standing up against society by any number of his actions makes him a hero. For example; he breaks the law with Julia in multiple ways like by getting high quality foods restricted from the Outer Party, engaging in intercourse for pleasure and not for simply doing their duty to the party, and he even goes as far to reach out to the Brotherhood. In addition to this when Winston writes in his diary he states his feelings towards Big Brother and the party he believes that it should not exist so when the novel states,”DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER...”(18). Winston states his defiance towards the party and their values by blatantly voicing his dislikes towards the party. Winston may not have upheld the expectations his society has on him and much like many other famous heroes of the past that stood up against society he was sent to prison.

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955 Words | 4 Pages

The heroic efforts by Winston and Julia were completely thwarted. Winston had finally shown signs that he could be a hero. But they were ruined by O’Brien. Julia and Winston are forced to separate and then they are both subject to torture. The downfall of Winston begins at this point, any heroic signs that had begun to sprout out of Winston were utterly destroyed.

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2740 Words | 11 Pages

He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.” (Orwell 298). The only reason that Winston changed his mind was

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309 Words | 2 Pages

Winston is defiant and rebels against Big Brother and the Party through various actions. For example, he continuously wrote “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” in his diary (Orwell 21). This simple thought is considered to be a severe crime where Winston lives because

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273 Words | 2 Pages

Winston is an inner party member in Oceania but while he seems to fall in line with party values he internally questions the party and the reliability of his own memories in George Orwell's novel 1984. Outwardly, Winston shows little to no rebellious tendencies toward the party, but inwardly he questions history and society because in his memories he recalls someplace better. Thorugh the novel one of the main points is Winston trying to infer if he can trust his own memories or if he is crazy, this is the book questioning reality. The book poses the question that if everyone around you believes one thing to be true, how can you prove that it isn’t?

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