Qualities Of Winston's Character In 1984 '

Qualities of Winston’s Character in 1984 “Life, if you looked about you, bore no resemblance not only to the lies that streamed out of the telescreens but even the ideals that the Party was trying to achieve”. In 1984, the country of Oceania is bleak, depressing, and colourless, and it is reflected in the protagonist Winston Smith. Winston is pessimistic and has a depressing air surrounding him, yet he is still thoughtful. To showcase this, the text uses parallel structure very effectively to illustrate these characteristics, and overall, it creates an interesting effect on the reader. Even though the world in 1984 is depressing, much like Winston himself, he still has the capability to be thoughtful. Winston is perhaps not depressed himself, but rather has the effect of making the reader feel hopeless and kind of despondent.

When Winston is considering the reality about the Party and of Oceania, he thinks “the truly characteristic thing about modern life was not cruelty and insecurity, but simply its bareness, its dinginess, its listlessness”. This is an example of Winston’s overall dismal air, and his dim view on life, especially where it uses parallel structure in the section “simply its bareness, its dinginess, its listlessness”. In this quotation, it uses descriptive adjectives and the repetition of the structure, to quite effectively create a sense of a depressing environment. One could imagine that the voice inside Winston’s head is getting lower, slower and more drained sounding. This use of parallel structure emphasizes the hopelessness of Winston’s character. In summary, Winston’s character has a despondent feel, and this is showcased in this passage. Winston can seem depressing, yet he is still