Characteristics Of Winston Smith In George Orwell's '1984'

Orwell constructs Winston Smith as a protagonist that does not embody the traditional characteristics of a heroic character. He is heartfelt about his resistance, but Orwell creates a hero that fails. This is not the Quixotic hero, but rather one who is withered and weakened by the external reality. Unlike Quixote, the readers does not fully remember all that Winston set out to do, but rather recognizes in his failure likes the flawed condition of human beings.

Winston is perfectly ordinary, with a respectable job within the social order of Oceania. While Winston is a rebel and does want to challenge authority, his failures are where Orwell constructs him as representative of what it means to be human, more than what it means to be heroic. When Winston is captured, there is not the brave resiliency of a hero. Rather, there is capitulation. Winston does not portray the qualities of a hero when he is arrested and tortured because he succumbs to his fear of rats. It is at this point where Orwell shows him to be not necessarily heroic, but more of a human being. For him to portray truly heroic qualities, Winston would overcome his fear of rats. Rather, in acquiescing to it, Winston merely shows himself to be a human being.
Human beings are merely meant to be controlled, as parts of a larger configuration. It is here in which Winston is not a hero. Rather, he is simply fulfilling his part in what Oceania wants to communicate to all of its citizens. This is seen in the final moments of the narrative. Orwell develops Winston in these final moments as not a hero, but a broken human being, one who has been crushed by the power of the forces around