Winston Smith In George Orwell's 1984

Winston Smith, in George Orwell’s 1984, struggles to free himself from the power of the Party, and Big Brother. Throughout the novel, Winston deals with the reality of living under a totalitarian government, and his building hatred of those in power reveals his inner struggle to gain his freedom. The author uses this inner struggle to demonstrate the horrors of living in such a world, where a person is constantly watched and even rebellious thought is an unforgiveable crime. Orwell gives his readers a frightening glimpse at the future, and uses the rebellious acts of Winston Smith to illustrate how oppressive and dehumanizing a totalitarian society can be. In Orwell’s view of the future, his protagonist, Winston Smith, works as a propaganda

This secret wish eventually leads to an affair with a woman named Julia. She also resents the Party, but not to the extent of Winston’s hatred of them. Their love affair is yet another form of rebellion against Big Brother, and demonstrates Winston’s struggle to gain his freedom. Winston’s defiance and rebellious acts are eventually discovered, and he is arrested and taken to the Ministry of Love. There he endures weeks of torture, interrogation, and brainwashing, but inevitably he gives up his struggle against the power of the Party and gives in to its total mind control as a loyal subject. In the end, Big Brother even manipulates Winston into thinking that he has won an inner struggle to find himself, instead of losing his struggle to free himself from their control. “But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother” (Page 298). Totalitarian governments can be brutal and can completely destroy an individual’s sense of self. Orwell’s 1984 shows, through the struggles of Winston Smith, a vision of what such an evil empire might look like, and a potential future under the power of a corrupt