Winston: A Modern Day Hero

516 Words2 Pages

Throughout the novel 1984, the main character, Winston is put through many difficult situations but comes out victorious in terms of being a hero. Although Winston may not meet the definition of a modern day hero, he's a hero according to Orwell's definition “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.” Winston goes through many situations throughout the novel that make him fit this definition. Winston does not conform to the idea of “Big Brother” because he does not agree with what they are trying to do. Winston sneaks his new diary into his room and writes “Down with Big Brother” over and over unknowingly, once he realizes that

Show More
Related

  • 1984 Dialectical Journal Essay

    1795 Words  | 4 Pages

    Returning to his diary, Winston then expresses his emotions against the Party, the Thought Police and Big Brother himself; he questions the unnecessary acts by the Party and continuously asserts rebellion. Winston soon realized he had committed the crime of having an individual thought, “thoughtcrime.” The chapter ends with a knock on Winston’s door. Significant Quotes “From where Winston stood it was just possible to read, picked out on its white face in elegant lettering, the three slogans of the Party: WAR IS PEACE FREEDOM IS SLAVERY IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH” (Orwell 7). “But there was a fraction of a second when their eyes met, and for as long as it took to happen Winston knew— yes, he knew!

    Read More

  • Comparing 1984, The Long Watch and The Ones Walk Away from Omelas

    1217 Words  | 3 Pages

    In “1984,” Orwell uses Winston to portray a single individual’s attempt to take action against a powerful government, culminating in his failure and subjugation. His individual efforts failed tremendously due to the overarching power of the Party to control every aspect of social life in Oceania. Orwell uses Winston’s deeply seated hatred of the Party to portray his views on power and social change. Winston’s actions show that even in the direst of situations ...

    Read More

  • 1984: A Rhetorical Analysis Of 1984 By George Orwell

    1225 Words  | 3 Pages

    Every part of life is regimented and controlled, but the only crime is ‘thought crime’: independent thinking and individualism. Big Brother is the figurehead of the Inner Party, and throughout the book, it is heavily implied that he may not really exist. The people are divided into Inner Party members, who control the government, Outer Party members, who make up the middle class, and Proletarians, or Proles, who make up the uneducated lower class. He utilizes strong but vague descriptions of the world around Winston to hint at the state of the world without directly saying it. He describes a bright cold day, which seems to perfectly depict the world's bleak state in a sort of indirect way (Orwell, 1948).

    Read More

  • Examples Of Universal Deceit In 1984 By George Orwell

    1207 Words  | 3 Pages

    He purchased a small journal from a shop and began to write in it out of view of the telescreen in his house, which allows anything in front of it to potentially be seen or heard. At first he had some difficulties as he could only manage to write jumbles of some of his memories, but then he began to write things like “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER (Orwell, page 18).” He later had an encounter with one of his fellow coworkers, O’Brien, which got him thinking that there might be others out in the world who see things the way he does, including O’Brien himself. Winston eventually decides that his diary will become a sort of letter to O’Brien, and to a future or past where things might have been different. In these diary entries he wrote things such as, “To the future or to the past, to a time when thought is free, when men are different from one another and do not live alone—to a time when truth exists and what is done cannot be undone…(Orwell, page 28).” This refers to how citizens think and act the same and previous events are not written as they happened, but altered to Big Brother’s benefit. He also wrote, “Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime IS death (Orwell, page 28).” This can be further explained by Winston’s previous thought, “The consequences of every act are included in the act itself (Orwell, page 28).” Winston

    Read More

  • Winston’s Struggle in 1984

    1726 Words  | 4 Pages

    George Orwell creates a dark, depressing and pessimistic world where the government has full control over the masses in the novel 1984. The protagonist, Winston, is low-level Party member who has grown to resent the society that he lives in. Orwell portrays him as a individual that begins to lose his sanity due to the constrictions of society. There are only two possible outcomes, either he becomes more effectively assimilated or he brings about the change he desires. Winston starts a journey towards his own self-destruction. His first defiant act is the diary where he writes “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER.” But he goes further by having an affair with Julia, another party member, renting a room over Mr. Carrington’s antique shop where Winston conducts this affair with Julia, and by following O’Brien who claims to have connections with the Brotherhood, the anti-Party movement led my Emmanuel Goldstein. Winston and Julia are both eventually arrested by the Thought Police when Mr. Carrington turns out to be a undercover officer. They both eventually betray each other when O’Brien conducts torture upon them at the Ministry of Love. Orwell conveys the limitations of the individual when it comes to doing something monumental like overthrowing the established hierarchy which is seen through the futility of Winston Smith’s actions that end with his failure instead of the end of Big Brother. Winston’s goal of liberating himself turns out to be hopeless when the people he trusted end up betraying him and how he was arbitrarily manipulated. It can be perceived that Winston was in fact concerned more about his own sanity and physical well-being because he gives into Big Brother after he is tortured and becomes content to live in the society he hated so much. Winston witnesses the weakness within the prole community because of their inability to understand the Party’s workings but he himself embodies weakness by sabotaging himself by associating with all the wrong people and by simply falling into the arms of Big Brother. Orwell created a world where there is no use but to assimilate from Winston’s perspective making his struggle utterly hopeless.

    Read More

  • 1984

    1981 Words  | 4 Pages

    From the beginning of the novel, it was inevitable that Big brother would eventually win, and Winston would be caught by the thought police. He could never have an immediate affect on the Party. His long and pointless struggle achieved no result in the end, and finally was brainwashed and lost any freedom of thought he once had.

    Read More

  • Heroism In George Orwell's 1984

    508 Words  | 2 Pages

    The protagonists in stories are often portrayed as heroic and not like everyone else. The author of 1984, George Orwell, did so in a rather unusual way. His definition of 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. This definition is already a bit different to what most people would think. Hero’s are mostly seen as people with superpowers who cannot be defeated or - - - -influenced by higher, external powers. Winston Smith, the protagonist of the story, struggles to embody the characteristics of a true hero while dealing with Big Brother and the Party.. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

    Read More

  • Winston's Curiosity

    790 Words  | 2 Pages

    The main character in the book 1984 was Winston, a character who showed many different qualities throughout the book. Winston showed qualities that included being daring, curious, and rebellious. His daring qualities showed when he wrote in his diary to commit thoughtcrime. Curiosity was show when Winston was wondered about the past and how the past has been changed. When O’Brien shut off his telescreen, Winston got very curious because he did not know that the telescreen could be shut off. A third quality Winston showed was being rebellious. His rebellious qualities showed when he took measures that were disbelieved by the Party. Even though Winston showed many qualities throughout the book, the strongest qualities he showed was being daring, curious and rebellious.

    Read More

  • 1984

    794 Words  | 2 Pages

    Firstly, O’Brien, a member of the inner party, uses technology to accomplish complete control over the public through the means of telescreens, hidden microphones and torture machines, ‘Any sound that Winston made… could be picked up by [the telescreen]. [Winston] could be seen as well as heard’. This emphasises to the reader the extent of control that the party can exercise over the public, enabling them to eliminate any potential rebels. Furthermore, this loss of freedom and individuality exterminates any real friendship, family or love forcing the public to turn to Big Brother for companionship. This in turn minimises the chance of rebellion as everyone views Big Brother as a figure of comfort and security, ‘As he seemed to tower up, an invincible, fearless protector…’ O’Brien also uses a torture machine on Winston, ‘[He] had never loved [O’Brien] so deeply as at this moment’. This machine enables O’Brien to manipulate Winston’s views, personal opinions and even feelings. O’Brien is able to make Winston view the world as he wants him to, even to the extent of making Winston love him, his tormentor, the person inflicting the pain. ...

    Read More

  • Internal and External Conflict in George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)

    907 Words  | 2 Pages

    The conflict between Winston and Big Brother starts from the beginning of the novel when Winston begins to keep his secret diary about Big Brother. Winston Smith is a third-nine years old man who is a member of the 'outer-party'--the lower of the two classes. Winston works for the government in one of the four main government buildings called the ministry of Truth where his job is to rewrite history books in order for people not to learn what the past used to be like. Winston's occupation is the major factor which lets him to realize that Big Brother is restricting people's freedom. However, Winston keeps his complains about Big Brother and the party for his own secret because the party will not allow anyone keeping a rebellious thought. The tension between them gets serious when Big Brother becomes suspicious of Winston. Winston is therefore watched by O'Brien, an intelligent execute at the 'Ministry of Truth', who is a member of the 'inner party'--the upper class. Without doubting Big Brother's trap, Winston shares his ideas with O'Brien. O'Brien mentions a gentleman named Emmanuel Goldstein whom he claims to know the leader of the rebels against the party. O'Brien also promises to help winston, and promises him a copy of Goldstein's book. But O'Brien betrays him as Big Brother has planned.

    Read More

  • The Themes Of Big Brother In George Orwell's 1984

    1379 Words  | 3 Pages

    Furthermore, In 1984 Winston uses the Brotherhood book to learn how to destroy Big Brother and ultimately gains control. As Winston is learning about what Brotherhood is, he is showing contentment for the rebellious act that is taking place by him. “The blissful feeling of being alone with the forbidden book… had not worn off… The book reassured him…”(177). The information that he is reading in the book gives him trust, hope and motive to eradicate Big Brother. This shows the extent Winston goes to risk his life so he can overthrow Big Brother and live a life with books, individualism and not worry about doublethink and thoughtcrime. However, although Winston is able to rebel and gain control of what he is doing with his life for a period of

    Read More

  • The Similarities Between Anthem And 1984

    510 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the old days he had hidden a heretical mind beneath an appearance of conformity.” Even though, big brother tortured Winston almost to a harmful death, he did not allow them to control his

    Read More

  • Who Is Winston's Loss Of Power In 1984

    726 Words  | 2 Pages

    Winston Smith, the main character, was a man that reviled the way Big Brother governed. He broke various rules; such has having a diary and having sex with a person he loved. Winston didn’t have friends, lived isolated, and felt miserable. Winston was a man that hankered freedom and a rebellion against Big Brother, but was too afraid that the Ministry would send him to a forced labor camp. Also, other people were too frightened of doing illegal activities because they knew that the consequences were horrifying. If Big Brother found any illegal activities being done, then the Thought Police would go acquire the people and put them through numerous stages of pain until he had total mental power over them. Big Brother

    Read More

  • Winston Smith: A Tragic Hero

    1191 Words  | 3 Pages

    A tragic hero can be described as a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is

    Read More

  • The Psychoanalysis of 1984

    1027 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the beginning, Orwell shows that Winston’s id takes over when he first decides to write in a journal. During his rush of rebellion, Winston’s id unconsciously forces him to write “Down with Big Brother” in his diary. Winston’s suppressed id drives him to act upon his ultimate thought and desire without filtering them through the ego and super ego. Winston’s id for an instant makes him believe that he is outsmarting the Party, however once he realizes what he as done Winston’s ill developed superego begins to kick in and he quickly becomes overwhelmed by the idea that he will be caught. In a Freudian perspective, Winston’s continuous anxiety of getting caught stimulates the id which then further influences him to rebel against Big Brother.

    Read More

More about Winston: A Modern Day Hero

Open Document