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Individuality In George Orwell's '1984'

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In “1984” George Orwell conveys many themes. The theme I’ll be focusing on is individuality/Freedom of thought and speech. The entire plot of the book is based around Winston’s individuality. The book is based on his need for freedom of speech. The need for freedom of thought is what lands many different characters in jail. The most direct example of individuality in this book is Winston himself. Throughout the book he goes against the Party, trying to be himself. In the beginning winston only goes against the Party in small ways. He buys a diary to write down is thoughts. He first describes a movie he is forced to watch. Later during the Two Minutes Hate, he writes “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” over and over again. Once he does this we know for sure that he is different than everybody else. The biggest act of defiance and freedom, is when Winston and Julia have their affair. Up until that point in the book, Winston never did anything to horrible to the party. For Winston it was more about the idea behind the affair than the actual affair itself. At the end of chapter two, of book two, Winston thinks about their embrace. He calls it a “...blow against the Party”. “A political act.” The only reason that the affair …show more content…

They monitor the citizens to make sure they don’t say or do anything that could be considered free thinking. The entire point of doublethink is to think one thing, but do another for the Party’s sake. Their is an entire ministry dedicated to destroying free thought. The ministry of Truth exists to rewrite anything that contradicts the party. It also exists to rewrite the dictionary so you can’t think freely, the words to do so are completely destroyed. Towards the end of the book O’Brien tells Winston “ Power over matter- external reality, as you would call it-is not important.” This shows that the Party doesn’t consider free thinking a

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That was his defining characteristic as an individual person; without it he was not Winston. However after going through his own unique torture, rats, in Room 101, Winston succumbed and “betrayed [Julia]” (Orwell 239). Only Winston’s conformity would have looked like this, and only Winston’s journey involved rats in Room 101. While there is not much research regarding the individual nature of conformity, important work has been done over the conditions and the nature of

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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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Similarly, the society of ‘1984’ is manipulated to act a certain way to maintain the control of the Party. Throughout the entirety of the novel, Winston is faced with conflicting emotions towards the treatment of people and the dictatorship of Big Brother. Undoubtedly, even whilst revolting, Winston exhibits a loyal and agreeable façade towards the Party, “to dissemble your feelings, to control your face, to do what everyone else was doing, was an instinctive reaction” (pg. 19). Our identity is a projection, a visual representation of our state of mind and the influences we are subjected to. In the same manner, we are constantly reminded of the rigid philosophies created by our society and are prompted to conform; our existence is created through being defined by others.

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He gives up and realizes that he cannot change anything or prove anything against the supreme power of the Big Brother. He pays his allegiance to the government. Winston had to go through a series of tortures out of which Room no. 101 was the symbol of pain. He is made to face his ultimate fear that is rats, which makes him betray Julia and he loses everything. What is shown here is how the people, who rebel, who try bringing change and or try to understand and remember the past are treated.

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