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Is Winston A Hero In 1984

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What is a hero? Is it someone who flies around the sky searching for evil? Someone who is considered morally good? Or is it subjective to the idea of your own mind? In the 1984 novel by author George Orwell, this question is answered between the lines of an oppressed society. The struggle for individual freedom, thought, and expression in the place in which they live, showcases the cause and effect of oppression on human behavior, and the answer to good morality versus the surrender of mental clarity. By the definition of George Orwell, Winston is perceived as a hero. He matches the definition of his drive for change to his secretive actions. But how far does that definition stretch, does having an affair and joining an opposing party still …show more content…

Keeping a diary is known and perceived as an act of defiance. This resonated with Orwell's definition of a hero due to the act of rebellion and fighting. His want for change within the limited self-expression the Party forced upon the citizens goes against the societal norms that do not respect human decency. To showcase this, in the novel Winston states, “Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two makes four. If that is granted, all else follows.” This quote represents his belief in the power of individual thought and expression, which is why he decided to keep a diary. The secret diary not only showed his thoughts and feelings throughout his struggle for freedom, but many other events happening as well. In the rut of his job, the appearance of his colleague Julia was introduced. Through the glances across the Ministry of Truth, leading up to a note being slipped into Winston's hand, a romantic relationship grew between the two. The note that was slipped into Winston's hand wrote, “I love you.” This was a turning point for the two as her risky and bold gesture soon sparked a love affair between them. Relationships were discouraged because of the party’s need to control every aspect of their

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Nearly all of Winston’s daydreams center themselves around an imaginary uprising, whether it be the desire to partake in it, or the fear of being caught. All of these visions start with his impulsive decision to buy the diary, and

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Throughout the story, Winston commits various “thoughtcrimes”, which are punishable by death, against “Big Brother” in order to escape its tyranny. We see the things he commits these crimes with, specifically with his diary and Julia, to be what he cherishes most. At the start of the book, Winston’s first “thoughtcrime” was writing in his diary. In this society, expressing thought is against the law and

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The author george orwell in 1984, Winston's character portrays individuality through his thoughts on the party's views on creating a inhuman society vs his self leadership. This contributed to the leads of his tragic downfall. The theme of society versus individual can can be see in the beginnings of the book when Winston explain his life as a member in the party in London and how there is a figure watching everything he do called big brother. Winston explains how the party controls everything and strive to make rebellion disappear which show the society that Winston is up against. Wilson finally show that he an individual when he choose to break a rule of self thoughts and start a journal which he knows will lead

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Winston and Julia’s relationship began with physical attraction, and for Winston, slowly evolved into an emotional attachment. Winston was certain that he loved Julia more than anything in the world, and that he had finally found someone that he could be happy with. Unfortunately, the government eventually manipulates Winston’s love for Julia into a love for the Party and Big Brother. After a tremendous amount of relentless torment, the party eventually makes Winston say “‘Do it to Julia! Not me!

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In the novel, 1984 by George Orwell, Winston is both a anti-hero and a hero. A hero is a man who is appreciated or admired for strength, extraordinary accomplishments, or honorable qualities. A anti-hero is a focal character in a story, motion picture, or show who lacks regular heroic qualities. Winston shows both anti-hero and hero traits by showing the good and bad qualities about him in the novel. Winston was a brave man who supported his society.

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His diary is one of the ways Winston shows that he is courageous. By Winston keeping a diary, he is committing thoughtcrime because

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Before Winston entered the ministry, he was happy and thrilled with his blissful life. He had a love affair, great friends, and what he thought was a safe haven for him and Julia. However, his perfect life came crashing down as a member of the thought police captured him and Julia. Not long after he entered the Ministry of Love, he is told that “”You are a difficult case. But don’t give up hope.

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Julia reveals how she slept with several other Party members thrills Winston because it shows how many others are corrupt, and by Winston doing the same he is pulling a political act against the Party. Winston expresses love for Julia because she is the only other person he can be sure of who hates the Party. “The more men you’ve had, the more I love you”(125). Winston reveals since he now knows Julia has had other partners he feels drawn to her because she is like him.

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Of course he chanted with the rest: it was impossible to do otherwise” (Orwell 17). Winston feels as if he is the only one that recognizes the feeling of being inhuman due to the lack of freedom. He also recognizes the danger that revolting could be. To feel any sense of freedom, Winston has to find ways to challenge Big Brother and his power while staying off the radar of the Party. One way he does this is by keeping a secret and illegal diary, where he expresses his distaste for Big Brother.

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The last part of Webster’s dictionary defines a hero as “The chief male character in a story, play, movie, etc.” Winston is the main character of 1984. We follow his journey as he tries to rebel against BB, form a relationship in overwhelming oppression, resist O’Brien’s attempts to rip everything human from him, and eventually, him breaking in the face of his greatest fear. Winston was our guide to the world of 1984, and according to Webster, this makes him the hero of the novel 1984. I would disagree with this analysis.

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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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Winston is defiant and rebels against Big Brother and the Party through various illegal actions. After purchasing an empty diary, he continuously wrote “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” when the telescreens were out of view (Orwell 21). This simple thought is considered to be a severe crime where Winston lives because it is direct disapproval towards the Party. Winston feels as if Big Brother is controlling every aspect of his life, so this rebellious action allows for him to vent his frustration.

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Throughout the book the slogans of “war is peace, freedom is slavery, [and] ignorance is strength” is a forced acceptance by all citizens (Orwell 16). These particular slogans, that exemplify doublethink, are plastered everywhere. The illogicalness of doublethink completely surrounds the citizens, constantly exposing them to it. The second characteristic of monopoly over mass media is quite evident in Winston 's life. Government employees run the internet, newspapers, and radio/tv announcements.

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Dystopia is an imagined place where everything is degraded, and the condition is bad. In the materials we have covered, dystopia was created either with the use of technology of with the use of totalitarianism. Many times, totalitarianism is justified with the purpose of having a stable government and technology is justified by making things easier for the people. These two have their own similarities and differences in terms of dystopian discourses that reflect the contemporary fears of what could happen in the future.

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This moment of weakness for Winston demonstrates his ego because he is satisfying his urge to rebel against the government in an efficient and appropriate way, as described by Marie Doorey in a reference about psychoanalysis (Doorey). Winston waited until he had acquired the diary to begin conspiring his thoughts against Big Brother. Winston mistakenly thought he was writing in secret, when in fact he was not. He was always being watched by Big Brother. Moreover, Winston attempts expressing his individuality by writing his thoughts and feelings in the diary.

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