Examples Of Insane In 1984

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To be insane is to be irrational and disconnected from reality. In the novel, 1984, the modern view of being sane in Oceania's society is actually insane. The main character, Winston Smith, tackles a brainwashed society and a corrupt government who proclaims him as insane. Winston, however, is sane because he actually remembers the past, distinguishes the immorality of the Party and tries to ameliorate Oceania.

Winston is of sound mind proven by his ability to remember the past, while the authoritarians of Oceania believe anything the Party tells them. While Winston was recalling about Rutherford, Aaronson and Jone's confessing to being on Eurasian soil, the narrator reveals, "The date struck in Winston's memory because it chanced to be Midsummer Day; but the whole story must be on record in countless other places …show more content…

The narrator mentions, "For whom, it suddenly occurred to him to wonder, was he writing this diary? For the future, for the unborn" (10). Winston is a genuinely righteous person. Trying to alleviate future generations and prevent the hardships of his time from happening again is a selfless, altruistic deed. Winston hypothesizes about a newspaper that proves Aaronson, Rutherford and Jones's innocence and yearns, "But it was evidence. It might have planted a few doubts here and there, supposing that I'd dared to show it to anybody. I don’t imagine that we can alter anything in our own lifetime. But one can imagine little knots of resistance springing up here and there- small groups of people banding themselves together, and gradually growing, and even leaving a few records behind, so that the next generation can carry on where we left off" (129). Winston has hope of a less horrible day that overthrows the Party, which shows his considerate, commiserating attitude and hunger for change and normality. How can one who aspires for a peaceful, civilized nation be