Who Is Winston Smith A Hero In 1984

Hero of the Process

What does it take to be a hero? Is the end result of success the only way one can be identified as a hero? What about the process? Does the ability to still try your hardest with the upmost bravery despite the fact that you know you will fail miserably in the end considered heroism? According to Orwell, heroism is “ordinary people doing whatever they can to change social systems that do not respect human decency, even with the knowledge that they can’t possibly succeed.” In 1984, by George Orwell, although Winston Smith did not successfully help the oppressed people of Oceania, he still did whatever he could regardless of whether or not he succeeded. By Orwell’s definition, the effort and bravery Winston Smith put into

the cause of the oppressed is what truly makes him a hero of Oceania despite the end result.
From the beginning of the novel, Winston Smith has continuously gone against the law. The main action he continues to do is buy things from “ordinary shops.” “Party members were supposed not to go into ordinary shops (’dealing on the free market’, it was called)” (9 Orwell). Even though Mr. Smith knows that he is not allowed to go into shops as the punishment is severe, he chooses to anyway. This proves Mr. Smith’s bravery and seriousness about his fight as he does not even sever punishment scare him away from what he believes in. Another example is when Winston Smith buys a diary to write in. This type of rebellion, if found out about, is punishable “by death, or at least by twenty-five years in a forced-labour camp” (9 Orwell). Yet, after a couple glances, Winston decides to go ahead with the transaction anyway. Again, Winston shows that even death does not make him second guess his actions to fight for the oppressed.
Another prominent action Winston Smith chooses to do, against the societal standards of the modernist era in Oceania, is have a love affair with Julia. “And what he wanted, more even than to be loved, was to break down that wall of virtue, even if it were only once in his
whole life. The sexual act, successfully performed, was rebellion. Desire was thoughtcrime” (86-87 Orwell). Winston knew that desire was considered to be a thoughtcrime and that his life could be in danger, yet for the cause of his rebellion he still continues through with it. Winston Smith is continuing to prove that he is truly willing to risk everything including his life for this rebellion.
The last act that completely turns Winston Smith into a true rebel to Oceania’s structure is when Mr.

Smith seeks out O’Brien to join him. “’We believe that there is some kind of conspiracy, some kind of secret organization working against the Party, and that you are involved in it. We want to join it and work for it. We are enemies of the Party. We disbelieve in the principles of Ingsoc. We are thought-criminals. We are also adulterers. I tell you this because we want to put ourselves at your mercy. If you want us to incriminate ourselves in any other way, we are ready’” (215 Orwell). This action is something Mr. Smith cannot take back and is a key reason why this was a crucial changing point in the novel. Winston Smith was no longer doing little crimes to rebel for his cause, but was now part of a group that was planning on doing greater damage to the

Party.
Through all of these key scenarios, Winston Smith has proven his loyalty and determination towards the cause of standing up for those oppressed by the Party. At the end of the novel, however, Winston Smith does get caught, brainwashed, and eventually broken down completely by the Party. He eventually betrays Julia for his fear of rats had overtaken his ability to stick loyal to his acquaintances and the cause he fought so hard for. The torture that Winston Smith went through made him betray everything that was close to his heart and that he loved. All his love he remembered was in turn replaced with Big Brother. Does this tragic ending make Winston Smith no longer a hero? Does this tragic ending rip away that title? The answer is no. Winston Smith is still a hero because the ending never changed the actions he accomplished. His motive was to stand up for the oppressed and he took actions to support this motive. This makes Winston Smith a hero. A hero is made by an individual’s actions, not by the outcome of their actions.
By Orwell’s definition of a hero, Winston Smith is indeed a hero.

His actions did not shy away from the fact that the outcome might not be a success. This is a key characteristic a hero should have according to Orwell’s definition. In order to look at Winston Smith as a hero you have to dismiss the perspective of a traditional hero like Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon hero. This is because this novel is set in a modernist era and a traditional hero cannot be necessarily found in this time period. A hero like Winston Smith can be found because he does have flaws and has a tragic ending influenced by modernism. A hero is labeled due to his courageous acts of bravery as they fight for what is right. Their actions cannot be diminished and looked down upon just because of a tragic ending. Winston Smith is a hero of the

process.