Examples Of Winston's Victory Gin In 1984

People are always eager for a way to escape hardships in life. In 1984, the difficulties a common person faces are far greater than any human is able to tolerate. This leads Winston to use alcohol to detach from the world around him as much as possible. While some may argue that Winston’s drinking was purely recreational and not an attempt to disconnect, the Victory Gin in 1984 shows that when faced with difficulty and oppression, people will always find a way to numb themselves. In the beginning of the book Winston is already drinking to what could be considered excess. “[He] poured out nearly a teacupful [of gin], nerved himself for a shock and gulped it down like a dose of medicine” (Orwell 5). The use of the word medicine shows that Winston

Not only does Julia give him an outlet to verbalize his horror at the Party, she also gives him physical stimulation. “Four, five, six, seven times they met [in] June. Winston had dropped his habit of drinking gin at all hours. He seemed to have lost the need for it” (Orwell 150). The Party seeks to remove all emotion from people’s lives, save hatred, fear, and triumph. When Winston falls in love and starts to feel empathy and care for Julia, he himself admits that he has lost the need for drinking. He has another avenue to relieve the pressure of living in such a society. Along with love for Julia, Winston becomes passionate about his hatred of the Party and his desire for change. With the stupor of alcohol being lifted, he is becoming more and more aware of the evil that the government spreads and instead of trying to tune it out, he tries to fight against it. In addition to improvements to his mental state, he has also improved physically. “He had grown fatter, his varicose ulcer had subsided…, his fits of coughing in the early morning had stopped. The process of life had ceased to be intolerable[.]” (Orwell 150). Winston still has to deal with stress, arguably more so than he did before meeting Julia, but now he has a relief, a person to share the burden. This removes the negative physical effects of constant anxiety leaving him healthier and happier despite not drinking