Character Comparisons of Winston vs. Guy in Fahrenheit 451 and 1984

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Winston Smith vs. Guy Montag

The two protagonists in Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 both started out somewhere, following the rules and doing what they were told, and towards the end of the book you see them change and become completely different people. In 1984, the reader experiences a nightmarish world that Orwell imagines through the eyes of the protagonist, Winston Smith. In Fahrenheit 451, the protagonist, Guy Montag is on a desperate search to find and understand his own life and purpose. These stories are set in the past tense but they both talk about what the future would or could be like.

Winston Smith, from the novel 1984, is a low status member of the Party who rules over the nation of Oceania. Winston is never alone, even in his own house. Everywhere he goes the Party is watching him through what they call telescreens. Oceania is run by a leader that is referred to as Big Brother. Winston is struggling with the fact that he doesn’t even have control of his own life, it’s controlled by the Party and Big Brother. When Winston becomes frustrated by the Party and Big Brother he illegally buys a diary in which to write criminal things like, “Down with Big Brother.” The Thought Police can basically read your mind, so even thinking anything rebellious or illegal will get you in trouble with them. Winston knows that he will soon get caught by the Thought Police for committing a thoughtcrime. He convinces himself that he will be caught no matter what he does, so he continues to rebel. Winston finds the courage to join a secret organization, called the Brotherhood, in order to take down Big Brother.

O’Brien, the Brotherhood’s leader, turns Winston in and he goes to jail. There he is questioned by O’Brien and tortured, ...

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...s running from his life he meets a group of people called the “Book People.” They are books lovers who have memorized many books. When enemy jets appear in the sky and they completely obliterate the city, Guy and the Book People move on in search of survivors and to rebuild the city. Montag started as a man with a incomplete life. That life was fulfilled when he discovered literature.

In conclusion, Winston Smith and Guy Montag are two men who are distinct in their own ways. Winston really figured out his life while he was in jail. That makes me think, do you need to be somewhere like that in order to get your life back together? Guy Montag found his satisfaction in books. Which I believe is the way to get your life in order. They are similar people for the reason that they both are unsure of their place in the world and who go through a journey to figure it out.

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