Winston Smith, the helpless protagonist, vociferates, “I’ve got a wife and three children. The biggest of them isn’t six years old. You can take the whole lot of them and cut their throats in front of my eyes, and I’ll stand by and watch it. But not room 101!” (Orwell 249). George Orwell conveys a strikingly wretched society in his dystopian novel, 1984, where a progressive citizen begs for the most abhorrent sanction to be placed upon him rather than to become victim of Oceania’s regime once his
The insanity of Winston Smith in 1984 George Orwell shared many of his great ideas and concerns in his novel 1984, especially through his main character, Winston Smith. Many readers may read this novel and think of Winston as an ordinary person but that is not the case. In the novel Winston Smith is a criminal and is watched over many years committing the crimes that go against the society. He is aware of his doings, and the crimes do not matter because in his eyes he is already dead. He is rebellious
Winston Smith is the protagonist of George Orwell's dystopian novel, 1984. Winston is described as concerned and anxious throughout the book, especially in the first chapter, where he is introduced to the reader. In this essay, I will discuss the reasons why Winston is concerned and the quotes from chapter 1 that support this claim. As the novel opens, Winston is shown to be preoccupied with a sense of foreboding. He is portrayed as someone who is deeply worried about the future and the state of
WINSTON SMITH Winston Smith is the novel’s protagonist, he is a citizen of Oceania. Winston is an intelligent man who works for the Ministry of Truth. His work consists of rewriting and editing history to accord the purpose of the Party. Winston portrays a secret hate of the Party. We live the horrors of a totalitarian government through the eyes of Winston. Winston has a desire to understand why the Party maintains such power over Oceania. Winston embodies a rebellious nature which leads him to
1984 chronicles the life of Winston Smith, a member of the Outer Party who despises the totalitarian control of Big Brother and the Party. An editor by profession, Winston rewrites records to conform to the state’s ever-changing history and becomes infatuated by the desire to find out about the true past. Winston moves into a room above an antique shop with his partner, Julia in which they both read the opposition’s book about the fundamental beginning of the Party. Winston and Julia are caught by the
. However, Winston Smith is not the hero that Oceania needed because even though he wrote anti-government messages in his journal, he wrote nothing of significance, he betrayed his lover when given the chance to prove his strength, to comply with the government, and was broken and taken over by Big Brother. Merely purchasing a journal to write in is illegal in Oceania. Winston knew this but he journaled nonetheless, using it for self-expression, which is denied under party rule. Owning the diary
Winston Smith, the protagonist of George Orwell’s 1984, is an inquisitive, intuitive, and romantic man. As the novel commences, Winston begins to question many aspects of his life and the way of life that Big Brother has set up. After reading Goldstein’s book, many of Winston’s questions were answered, however, Winston is still left wanting more: “He had still, here reflected, not learned the ultimate secret. He understood how; he did not understand why.” (217) Winston’s constant quest for knowledge
Winston Smith is an average man living life in a society ruled by a totalitarian power: The Party. He is a simple, middle-aged man who wants to do the right thing and does what he needs to do by going to work, following the curfew, and commits crimes that would only mean certain death if he was caught. But why the last bit? One must delve deeper to substantiate Winston’s actions and why he truly does what he does. Winston lives in a world of lies and cruelty, yet he makes the best of it. Winston
In the book 1984 by George Orwell, Winston Smith goes through many things, including a shift in understanding. When we first meet him he barely understands the world, only seeming to know that something is seriously wrong. He slowly rebels against his government by writing his true feelings down in a secret diary, which helps him vent any anger he has and maintain his emotions. This in itself is not exactly the healthiest way to express your feelings, but in Winston’s case it is really his only
a selct, unkown few choose to rebel. In “1984” by George Orwell, Winston Smith’s defiant nature and curious attitude display that when in a situation lacking optimism, one may turn to rebellion. Winston is defiant and rebels against Big Brother and the Party through various actions. For example, he continuously wrote “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” in his diary (Orwell 21). This simple thought is considered to be a severe crime where Winston lives because
Winston Smith, the main character in the novel, faced many emotional challenges throughout the book. The problems that he encountered were primarily a result of his strong opposition toward the government of Oceania, which was more commonly known as “the Party”. The Party controlled every aspect of people’s lives, to the point where one wrong thought or physical action could cause brutal punishment. Although Winston was a minor member of the Party, he still secretly despised the way it had inflicted
Personality Traits of Winston Winston Smith is a character that was created to represent the average man; unremarkable and powerless yet still carrying a subtle sense of superiority. 1984 investigates how Winston deals with the conflict between the suppressive society and his defiant nature. Throughout the book, Winston repeatedly voices his contempt for the party and for Oceania’s society as a whole. His disregard for societal norms and The Party’s wishes provides Winston with a rebellious disposition
main character, Winston Smith. Winston is put into a world that he does not fit into and tries to defy all odds. The symbols Orwell uses include Big Brother himself, he is seen on a poster, with the words “Big Brother is watching you”. He is seen as a man gazing down, always watching the citizens. Big Brother symbolizes the Party in its public demonstration; it reassures most, but is also a threat. The poster is a vague representation of how vague the party is too; it made Winston question if Big
Literary Analysis A dystopian protagonist usually never succeeds in beating the dystopian society that they live in. In the book 1984 by George Orwell, our protagonist Winston Smith lives in a dystopian society and has rebellious intentions. He hopes that there will be a revolution and the oppression will be gone, so he tries to fight back against the system in secret, but he eventually gets caught and punished. A dystopian protagonist possesses the defining traits of believing/feeling that something
The Circle of Life The truth is so close, yet so far. Winston Smith, the protagonist of the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, feels as if he is constantly gaining access to the truth about the Party; however, he fails to realize that he is walking steeper into the trap set up by the government officials. When Smith is working for the media, when he destroys historical documents, he realizes that the government is built on lies, so he finally decides to seek the path of rebellion. The hardships
scrutinized” (Orwell 3). Winston Smith lived in a society where every individual’s thoughts and actions were being watched by the Party. If one did have thoughts or actions defying the Party they would vanish and cease to exist in the past, present, and future. The Party had control over everything and everyone. Winston’s animosity towards the Party allows him to overcome the difficulty of expressing his thoughts through determination. Animosity and determination caused Winston to make irrational and
novel 1984 by George Orwell, Winston Smith lives in a dystopian London society, filled with despair and mistrust. Winston have speculated throughout the book that the Party, London government leader, were tampering with the citizens memories. After Winston was taken into the Party custody, he was then was tortured by O’Brien, a member of the inner Party. O’Brien reason for torturing Winston was that he refuse to let the Party control of his memories and history. Winston ask to O’Brien if the Party
isolation, fear, and lies to destroy the humanity in their citizens and maintain absolute power over Oceania. 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
In the novel 1984, written by George Orwell, Winston Smith struggles to survive under the totalitarian rule of Oceania's government and their figurehead Big Brother. With his mistress, Julia, Winston breaks the laws of his country and both of them attempt to evade the “Thought Police” and continue to see each other. Orwell’s portrayal of women as weak, intellectually inferior, and by having his protagonist objectify women establishes the misogynistic views of the novel. How mothers are portrayed
oppressed society. Winston Smith, the protagonist, has a strong dislike against the party, and demonstrates this by writing in a diary, breaking their rules. “The diary would be reduced to ashes and himself to vapour. Only the Thought Police would read what he had written, before they wiped it out of existence and out of memory. How could you make appeal to the future when not a trace of you, not even an anonymous word scribbled on a piece of paper, could physically survive?”(435). Winston clearly understands