In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, Winston Smith’s empowerment and ability to rebel against the Party lies in the relationship and loyalty he shares with Julia. At the beginning, Winston is weak and frightened to revolt against the Party. Furthermore, Winston is emotionally weakened and frustrated because the dark-haired girl he desires seems distant and cold to him. However, when the girl named Julia declares her love for him, their relationship’s fidelity strengthens Winston. Julia helps him towards redeeming himself from his shameful past. In addition to this commitment, Winston is empowered and motivated to find ways to actively resist the Party, Eventually, Winston and Julia are discovered in their affair and arrested and, at first, …show more content…
His physical condition is pathetic and he is quite weak and defenseless. Winston is a thirty-nine year old Party member who works in the Ministry of Truth altering historical records. Feeble, skinny, and with a varicose ulcer, he has difficulty climbing the stairs to his apartment: “a smallish, frail figure, the meagerness of his body merely emphasized by the blue overalls” (Orwell 2). Winston is described as insignificant, scrawny, and lonely compared to the Party’s leader Big Brother who is supreme and inescapable (Reilly 27). In addition to his physical handicaps, Winston’s troubles are combined with his inability to be confident and fearless in rebellion against the Party. Although he secretly buys a diary from a junk shop in the slums owned by a man named Charrington, Winston feels uncomfortable possessing such a suspicious item. When Winston goes to write in the diary, he is petrified and not mentally confident because he is unsure of whether he should perform such a seditious act. After Winston records the date, thoughts race through his mind and he feels vulnerable to the Party’s might: “A sense of complete helplessness has descended upon him” (Orwell 7). Panic overwhelms Winston as he begins writing in his diary because he fears the consequences, showing his weakness and lack of nerves. Winston Smith is at first a frail man with little strength to fight back against the Party’s control of