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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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During the beginning sections of the book, Winston narrates his average life as a party member under the control of Big Brother. The Big Brother is deemed the upper echelon of the hierarchy presented in the story. Very few go against Big Brother, but those who

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During their first meeting, Winston recounts their actions to follow that, “not merely the love of one person but the animal instinct, the simple undifferentiated desire: that was the force that would tear the Party to pieces,” (172). Their actions are one of the only ways they can rebel against the party, and Winston believes

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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.

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In 1984, that’s a huge deal considering it’s against the law to do so. Winston also talked, thought and went against the government in multiple ways, from writing his thoughts and dreams in a journal, to falling for Julia, and uncovering Oceania’s dirty secrets. Throughout the book you’ll see that Winston gains friends who soon will either die or betray him. Mr. Charrington and O’Brien were his two closest besides Julia. The two men were spying on him and turned him in.

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At the beginning of the novel, Winston made it prominent that he dissented Big Brother and his party’s idea. He wrote in his diary, in Book 1 Chapter 1, “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER…” (Orwell 18). This shows that Winston dissented his country’s government and was willing to rebel for he knew deep inside that

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The novel describes the journey of Winston Smith as he rebels against the Party and tries to maintain his human qualities. By creating a totalitarian government in the novel 1984, George Orwell is able to express how important humanity is to not only Winston but also

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Because of the omnipresence of the Party and threat of the Thought Police, Winston believes his rebellious acts were discovered from the beginning. This feeling of pessimism leads Winston to subconsciously make the decision to be less careful with covering up his rebellious acts. He takes risks with renting the room and meeting O’Brien which eventually leads to the failure of his resistance towards the government. The culture that the Party forces twisted Winston’s morals and invokes artificial feelings. Winston claims he will never betray Julia to the Party.

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This also shows how willing Winston is to sacrifice himself for love, as it can end in both of them getting caught. In addition to this, one of the first times that Winston talks about Julia, he begins to feel the rebellion. “Thus, at one moment Winston’s hatred was not turned against Goldstein at all, but, on the contrary, against Big Brother, the Party, and the Thought Police” (Orwell, 14). Publicly revolting in Oceania is extremely dangerous since there is too many telescreens watching over him. “All that they did was to keep alive in him the belief, or hope, that others besides himself were enemies of the Party” (Orwell, 17).

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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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Through the restrictions placed from the Party, the population of Oceania is forced into conforming. The cost of this is represented through Obrien explaining that there is a loss of beauty, of art, and no enjoyment of life. Individuality is shown through the development of Winston as a character. While meeting with Julia and expressing himself more, Winston becomes more of an individual rather than one of the other Party members. This initially has a positive affect on him, with the immediate increase in his health, however he eventually suffers deeply for it.

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The Party’s approach to life has not always been for everyone, including Winston who frequently gets angry at their actions. In the beginning of the book, Winston says he was writing, “as though by automatic action… DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” (1.1.18). His thoughts and actions toward Big Brother and the Party have become so strong that he is involuntarily writing words against them. Winston also resents the rule that there can be no love in Oceania, and leaps at the chance to break it.

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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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